Shadow
by storytellergirl
Summary: Scotty moves in with Lilly to protect her after a particulary twisted case takes a turn for the worse and the suspect gets away plotting revenge. Finished!
1. The Story

**Disclaimer—Obviously I own nothing here, maybe just the plot.**

_**Shadow**_

**1-The Story**

Lilly yawned as she walked into the homicide department. She was exhausted from the lack of sleep she had gotten the previous night, due to some louder than usual neighbors.

"Hey, Lil," started Scotty appearing at her side. "You got one."

"Already?"

"Yeah, her name's Megan Glenrose, and she wants you to solve the murder of her sister back in 1991."

"Any suspects?"

"Zilch, the only ones home at the time of the murder were Megan, her brother Victor, and the vic, Laura." Scotty handed Lilly the case file and she frowned.

"Great, sounds promising…they didn't hear or see a thing?" she asked.

"That's their stories…until now." By this time Lilly and Scotty had arrived at Lilly's desk where a woman in her mid-twenties was seated. Lilly took a seat in front of the petite blonde and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Hi, Ms. Glenrose, I'm Lilly Rush. How can I help you? From what I understand you're here about your sister's case. Care to tell me about it?"

"I was only thirteen at the time, Laura was sixteen. I thought I had blocked out everything about the murder…she was so beautiful and…I didn't know why anyone would want to kill her. Victor and I loved her so much, that's why it's so confusing now," murmured Megan Glenrose tearfully.

"What is?" pressed Lilly gently.

"Lately I've been having these nightmares…about the night Laura died. And things that had happened before…things I had forgotten about. See, Laura and Victor were so close, they were only two years apart. As the oldest Victor was supposed to take care of us all the time when our parents were working late. But…lately I've been remembering things…weird, sick things.

"I was eleven the first time I caught them in her room…they were making out on her bed. Laura made me swear not to tell anyone, she said it was a game between them. I thought that was I it, I trusted Laura, but a few months later I caught her in his room, and it sure as hell didn't look like a game to me. Victor had his hands up her shirt…it was serious, and gross. But I couldn't tell anyone, I couldn't lose the trust Laura and Victor had given me with their secret." Megan took a deep breath before going on.

"About a year later we were left alone for the weekend…I could hear Laura and Victor in the other room. When mom and dad were gone they were all over each other. Things continued up until Laura got murdered. After I first realized what had been going on between them, things kinda made sense. Laura was sick with the flu when she had been killed. I think she had been pregnant, and I think Victor was mad 'cause the baby wasn't his. It belonged to one of his best friends."

Lilly and Scotty glanced at one another in shock. This was unlike any other case they had tackled before. Lilly took a deep breath as her partner rubbed the back of his neck.

"So you think your brother killed Laura?" she asked.

Megan shrugged, her eyes clouding over. "He had to have. He was the last one to see her alive…he had gone up to her room to mess around, but he came down twenty minutes later and we watched TV."

"There was no evidence of blood on either of you guys," spoke up Scotty gesturing towards the case file on Lilly's desk.

"There wouldn't be would there?" Megan closed her eyes before saying what she had to say next. "I got rid of them for him."

Lilly was stunned. "Why? If you knew he had killed her, and deposited of evidence for him, why tell us the whole story about your siblings?"

"Because I want you to understand what kind of person my brother is. Laura was his first love…but she wasn't always home. When she was at a friends' house, or the mall even—I took her place. But unlike Laura, I never screwed around behind Victor's back. I loved him more than a sister should love her brother."

"So why come forward after so long?" questioned Scotty narrowing his eyes.

"That's easy. The asshole's finally getting married, and I want him to pay for blowing me off."

**A/N—I'm not sure where this is going, but if you like it I'll continue it. I promise it's gonna center around Scotty and Lilly. So, review and let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	2. A Suspect

**Disclaimer—Don't own anything here. That much is obvious.**

**2—A Suspect**

"An incestuous love affair, jealousy, a pregnancy—all the makings of a soap opera gone wrong, Boss," said Lilly as she plopped a box onto her desk. Scotty began rummaging through the contents as Stillman ran a hand over his head.

"That bad?" he groaned as Scotty took out pictures of the murder.

"Oh yeah," replied Scotty holding a picture out for Stillman and Lilly to see. "The girl is extremely pissed at her brother for dropping her to marry someone else. It's gross…but it makes one hell of a case."

Lilly nodded in agreement. "Of course we don't know whether or not Victor really _did_ kill Laura, or if Megan did. We've only heard her side of the story, but I have a hunch Victor's going to point the finger right back at Megan."

"Are the parents still around? And where's Victor?" asked Stillman.

"The parents live in a ritzy neighborhood on the other side of the city…and Victor lives with his fiancée about a block away from there," answered Scotty nudging Lilly to look at another picture. Stillman nodded absently as Lilly showed the same picture to him.

"Alright, let's send Vera and Jeffries to the Glenroses, and Lil, you and Scotty take our other suspect."

"You're gonna let Vera question the Glenroses about the relationships between their kids? Good luck with that one, Boss," grinned Lilly patting him on the back.

Scotty chuckled as he took Lilly by the arm to lead her out of the room. "Have Jeffries bring a recorder—I want to hear Vera stumble over this one."

Stillman frowned as he watched the two leave the department. "Vera! We need to talk about common courtesy before I send you out today!"

**ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY:**

Lilly studied the small house before her as Scotty rang the doorbell. It was the average American home. White with blue trimmings and a white picket fence outlining the green lawn. It was almost too perfect.

"A little creepy, huh?" asked Scotty quietly as they waited.

"Yeah…" Lilly trailed off just as the door opened and a man came to stand before him. He was tall with red hair, bright blue eyes, freckles across his face, and reading glasses. He glanced at Scotty curiously, but the moment he caught sight of Lilly his face paled as though he had seen a ghost.

"Can I help you?" he questioned politely, pushing his glasses up on his nose to get a better view of Lilly.

"Victor Glenrose? I'm Lilly Rush, and this is Scotty Valens—we're from Homicide. We're here to talk about your sister's case."

Victor stared in disbelief at the two officers before ushering them inside and leading them to the living room. "Wow. Laura's case? Did you uncover new evidence? Have you finally caught someone?"

Scotty glanced over at his partner before speaking. "Actually, your other sister, Megan, came in to talk to us. She mentioned a few things that we felt we should ask you."

"Ah, I see." Victor nodded and wearily took a seat in a chair, motioning for Lilly and Scotty to take the couch across from him.

"Mr. Glenrose, Megan told us something, a little unsettling. She said that you and Laura were…" Lilly paused to find the right words. "She said you two were having a love affair of sorts. Is that true?"

Victor never took his eyes off Lilly as he answered. "With Laura? Oh, Jesus. Laura meant the world to me…maybe…maybe too much. But we were young—our hormones were out of control. It didn't mean anything!"

"That's not what your sister said. Megan said Laura had gotten pregnant, and the baby wasn't yours, so you were upset enough—" Scotty was hastily cut off by Victor, who was now on the edge of his seat.

"To kill her? Is that what Meg said? That I killed Laura? For a baby? I didn't even know Laura was pregnant. Our parents never mentioned anything after the autopsy—and I never wanted to know the results. There are some things left in the dark. God, if Laura had been pregnant with someone else's child, I would have been happy. If that kid had been mine…it wouldn't have been healthy." Victor shook his head and continued to gaze over at Lilly with a deep intensity.

Lilly gave a small frown as she watched the man carefully. "But you don't deny that you were…involved with your sister Laura? Or Megan?"

"Look, what happened in the past happened…I don't like what I've done, but it's all behind me now. I'm going to be married in a few weeks—I…I can't let my fiancée find out some of the things I've done. I can't lose her. Megan…Meg's my baby sister. I love her like one, she sees more because of Laura. Because Laura…I loved Laura. Sometimes I wonder why she had been killed…if it was because of me…"

"Was Megan jealous of Laura?" asked Scotty rubbing his temples, but never taking his eyes off Victor. It was odd how Victor would only answer to Lilly.

"Oh God yes. Insanely jealous. Laura was the family beauty queen. Good student, popular—the whole works. Meg lived in her shadow for years after that. She's always tried to be what Laura once was—but she could never measure up. It wasn't a big deal, just the usual little sister jealousy."

Lilly sighed. "Would Megan have been jealous enough to kill Laura? She said you and her…"

"Maybe." Victor frowned as Scotty edged closer to Lilly to whisper something in her ear. "You know, on the day Laura died, Meg went to talk to her. I never thought anything of it until now. I went after she did to see Laura, but, I thought she had been asleep. I never once thought she was dead until our folks came home and went to check up on her."

"Did anyone else have a reason to kill Laura?" Scotty pulled out a pad of paper to jot down names just in case.

"Markey Croy…he was my best friend. He was in love with Laura too. If she _had _been pregnant, he would've been responsible. I can't give a reason why though, he was crazy about her."

"Do you know where we can find Markey?" continued Scotty. Victor didn't look away from Lilly as he answered.

"Last I heard he was down on Liberty and 22nd. You can't miss him, trust me."

Lilly stood up. "Alright, well thank-you for talking to us. If you think of anything else just let us know."

"It's strange really," said Victor shifting his gaze to the window past Lilly.

"What is?"

"How much you resemble Laura. I'm surprised Meg didn't say anything, but she's so wrapped up in her own world she wouldn't notice. But seeing you reminds me of Laura…I miss her more everyday you know. She was a real angel."

**A/N—So here's the next chapter. I promise the next will be better, and have more Lilly/Scotty stuff. This one just leads up to the good stuff later. Hope you guys like it.**


	3. Chaos

**Disclaimer—Still don't own any of this stuff. Too bad though, I could be rich.**

**3—Chaos**

Stillman raised his eyebrows in question as Lilly and Scotty walked into his office. Both were fuming with anger.

"I take it you talked to our suspect?" he ventured wearily.

"Oh yeah," muttered Scotty darkly, "and he sent us to another suspect."

"Right, only Victor failed to mention that good old Markey Croy is dead. Victor sent us straight to a cemetery," added Lilly brushing strands of her blonde hair away from her eyes.

Stillman groaned. "So now we're back at square one?"

"Pretty much. How'd Vera and Jeffries do?" asked Lilly taking a seat across from her boss. Scotty settled in the chair next to her as they awaited an answer.

"It went…fairly well. Up until they threw Vera out for suggesting 'such nonsense', as they termed it, about their children. But I did look up the old autopsy report on Laura—she _was_ pregnant when she died."

Scotty flinched and then shook his head. "This case is staring to freak me out. It's wrong in every way possible and now we have two suspects blaming each other."

"Well, there's more. Apparently Laura had been pregnant once before—but had miscarried."

"The Glenroses actually told you that?" Lilly gave a small gasp of surprise.

"Actually, no. Hospital records did. I looked up everything I could on this family. I'm a little suspicious of them. From what Jeffries said, Mr. and Mrs. Glenrose didn't seem too surprised by the allegations. Just tired.

"Laura miscarried when she was just fifteen—her brother brought her to the hospital. Both of them looked like they had been in a fight. Visible bruises on their faces, and her arms and legs. But the hospital had nothing substantial to go on so they released her."

"They let her go home with her brother?" Scotty frowned as he leaned over the desk to take the papers Stillman had in front of him.

"As a matter of fact, Mrs. Glenrose showed up and took them both home without a word. And it keeps getting better. Little Megan took a few trips to the ER with her brother a few years after Laura died…and she looked just as beat up as her sister had. And, there's a public record from an abortion clinic a couple years back that confirms Megan had an abortion, and the adult present…Mrs. Glenrose." Stillman sat back as the two officers gaped at him in shock.

"So you're saying Mrs. Glenrose knew what was going on between her kids?" Scotty was disgusted.

"I'm saying that Mrs. Glenrose may not be all that she seems."

"What are you getting at, Boss?" demanded Lilly leaning over Scotty's arm to read the reports. Her partner handed the papers to her and she leaned back in her chair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Glenrose are a pair of nobodies. They came to Philly about thirty years ago, and not much is known about them before that. This family is keeping more than one family secret. Oh, and just so you know, Victor was jailed once for hitting an old girlfriend in public. I sent Vera and Jeffries down to check it out. She might be able to shed some light on Victor himself."

"I guess this means we should head back to Victor's, huh?" groaned Scotty.

Lilly grinned. "You bet, partner. I have some more questions for our favorite suspect." With that Lilly grabbed Scotty by the arm and proceeded to drag him out of the office.

**A WHILE LATER:**

"Think he did it?" asked Scotty as Lilly rang the doorbell.

"At this point I don't know _what_ to believe. The guy's nuts…the whole family is at this point," muttered Lilly. She frowned and rang the doorbell once more impatiently.

"Should we be concerned our boy skipped town?" Scotty positioned a hand near his gun holster and looked down at his partner. Before Lilly could fathom a reply chaos erupted.

The front door swung open and Victor appeared with a wild look in his eyes. He caught sight of Lilly and gave a strangled cry. Time froze as Victor lunged at the blonde officer and wrapped his hands around her throat. Lilly gave a choked gasp for air as she clamped her hands on Victor's arms. Her vision was beginning to darken when Scotty took action.

Scotty didn't think twice as he swung a fist and hit Victor directly in the nose, causing blood to gush out. Then the Puerto Rican tackled the suspect into the house. Lilly took ragged breaths, gingerly touching her throat where Victor had grabbed her. She took another deep breath and quickly pulled out her cell phone. Within seconds she was calling for back up all the while keeping a wary eye on the struggle going on indoors.

By now Victor had scrambled back onto his feet and grabbed a wooden chair from behind him. He brought it crashing down onto Scotty's arm, causing the officer to curse violently.

"Shit!" Scotty jumped to his feet and took another swing at Victor with his good arm and caught the other man squarely in the job. Victor snarled at him and rushed Scotty, driving him into the wall. Scotty sucked in his breath as he both heard and felt the glass of a mirror shatter behind him. He looked past Victor and caught a glance of Lilly standing in the doorway with her gun cocked at the ready. Scotty nodded in understanding and threw his shoulder into Victor, causing the man to take unsteady steps backwards. Lilly held her breath and pulled the trigger.

Victor screamed in agony and blood immediately began to seep down from the fresh wound in his shoulder. "You bitch! I'm going to kill you! I swear to God I'm going to fucking _kill_ you!" He turned towards Lilly but Scotty stepped in front of him.

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you," muttered the dark haired cop menacingly. Victor clutched his shoulder and divided his angry glares between Scotty and Lilly. In the distance a siren's wail could be heard. Reinforcements were on the way.

"Looks like time just ran out, Victor," said Lilly coldly, keeping her gun in plain sight.

"Only for you, bitch!" With those words Victor shoved Scotty into Lilly, causing both officers to fall to the ground. Lilly dropped her gun and grimaced in pain as she felt Scotty fall on top of her. By the time they had gotten back on their feet, Victor Glenrose was gone.

"Dammit!" swore Lilly stamping her feet. Scotty nodded in agreement and let out a breath of relief as several cop cars came to a stop in front of the house.

Vera jumped out of one car and shook his head as he caught sight of Lilly and Scotty. "Oh man," he smirked. "What the hell did you guys do?"

**A/N—I kinda wrote this in a rush since I haven't updated in a while. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long, but school's a bit tough right now. Hope you guys like this one!**


	4. A Turn of Events

**Disclaimer—Still own zilch here. Hardly likely to change anytime soon.**

**4—Turn of Events**

"I hate to do this to you, Lilly, but until this guy's caught I'm afraid I'm going to have to assign someone to watch you," said Stillman softly.

"But, I'm fine! Really! How can we be so sure that Victor is actually going to come after me?" demanded Lilly from her spot behind her desk.

"Maybe 'because that lunatic tried to kill me to kill you," replied Scotty from his vantage point on the other side of her desk. He was quietly nursing his right eye with a bag of ice. Lilly glanced over at him and frowned as she caught sight of his left arm in a sling. She had almost forgotten about that.

"Seriously, Lil, we can't lose ya," started Vera joining the trio. "Who else is gonna do all the cold ones back there? Sure as hell ain't gonna be me."

"Ha. Ha." Lilly furrowed her eyebrows and turned towards Jeffries in a pleading manner. "Come on, Jeffries, you'll vouch for me, won't you?"

Jeffries held up his hands and shook his heads. "Sorry, Lil, the Mayor issued this order. Something along the lines of he received a complaint from some of the neighbors after Victor high tailed it outta his house and through their yards. They all heard his threats, you're a walking target."

"Great, how the hell am I supposed to get any work done with some underpaid cop trailing me around all day?" muttered Lilly crossing her arms across her chest.

Scotty snorted. "He's gonna be a cop, Lilly, not some kid dressed in black. The Mayor's got _some _class, right, Boss?"

Stillman gulped and looked down at the floor. "Actually," he murmured. "The department has no money to provide a twenty-four hour shadow until Victor's caught."

Lilly grinned in victory. "Alright then. It's the thought that counts in the end though." She sat up straight in her seat and began to organize the papers that were scattered across it. Scotty took the ice bag off his eye and studied Stillman carefully.

"So the Mayor left it at that, huh?" he asked cautiously. Lilly frowned at Scotty and looked over at her boss expectantly.

"Not really. He and I went over several…different options until he found one that he liked."

Vera chuckled as Lilly's face fell. "The Mayor's a real nice guy, Lil. He killed two birds with one stone."

"What did the Mayor say, Boss?" asked Lilly darkly.

"What better way to keep an officer out of your hair, and yet protects you at the same time than someone you already work with?" said Vera good naturedly. Jeffries rolled his eyes as Stillman groaned. Both Lilly and Scotty were staring with their mouths hanging open.

"What?" Scotty shook his head and put the ice back on his eye. "The Mayor wants Vera to watch her?"

"The Mayor wants you to watch her kid," snapped Vera hitting Scotty from behind the head.

"Me?"

"Scotty?" Lilly was dubious of the idea. It was hardly unlikely that she would need Scotty to baby-sit her, especially in his current condition.

She continued talking. "Did you mention what happened to Scotty today? That he looks like a piñata now? How does the Mayor think Scotty's gonna protect me with an arm in a sling?"

"Gee, thanks for the faith, Lilly." Scotty glared over at his partner with his visible eye.

"The Mayor figures that since the two of you are partners that you'll have no trouble getting along until Victor Glenrose is put behind bars. Remember, elections are coming up. He's ordering this to entice new voters to his side for another term as Philly's mayor. Humor him, will you?" replied Stillman eyeing both officers sternly.

"You mean I have to stay with Lilly? She has those furry cat things. They're gonna get my clothes all covered in hair," protested Scotty. Lilly smacked him in the arm.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere without my cats! Since I'm the one being 'threatened' as everyone likes to put it, then I expect to be catered to. You can start by doing laundry, cleaning the house, and cooking dishes," teased Lilly giving in for a moment. "Or, _you_ can talk to the Mayor and tell him I don't need a shadow."

Scotty scowled at Lilly. "Are you crazy? Victor thinks you look like Laura! The guy's obsessed with his _dead sister_, Lilly. He wants to kill you now…don't you remember him trying to choke you to death?"

Lilly placed her fingertips on her throat where hand-shaped bruises had begun to form. "I can take care of myself. I've never needed a baby-sitter before, so why start now? That's only going to prove to Victor that I'm helpless and afraid of him—both of which I am not!"

"Forget it, Rush. Tell the Mayor I'll watch Lilly like a hawk. There won't be a moment that she's out of my sight," vowed Scotty turning to Stillman.

"Good," said Stillman brightening up. "I already told the Mayor that you would."

Vera grinned at the look on Lilly's face. "Now this is gonna make our jobs a hell of a lot more fun. You gonna walk her to the bathroom too, Valens?"

"Don't push their buttons, Vera," warned Jeffries. "Lilly might want to prove she can handle herself and turn you into Scotty's long lost twin."

"Okay, you guys. Settle down, I don't need a riot in here," said Stillman. "Now, who wants to tell me why Victor attacked in the first place?"

Lilly pursed her lips in thought before speaking. "I think Scotty's right; Victor's still obsessed with Laura. He couldn't go a sentence without mentioning her in the interview. He definitely loved her in a twisted sort of way."

"Yeah," added Scotty, "no matter who asked a question, Victor only answered to Lilly. I think when he opened the door and saw her again he freaked out. There's gotta be another motive to Laura's death besides pregnancy."

"You guys went to visit one of Victor's old girlfriends, right? What'd she say?" Lilly turned to Vera and Jeffries for an answer.

"The usual. Victor had a jealous streak. Victor beat her a few times if she didn't comply with sexual favors. Normal abuse allegations." Vera shrugged.

Jeffries paused a minute before saying anything. "Though, Ms. Angela Ford did mention something of interest. Apparently Victor had a little side business going for some of his friends and sisters."

"A side business? Like drugs?" Scotty gave a confused glance over at the older officer.

"Nope. Vera?"

"Oh sure, make me the deliver the bad news. Victor was running a brothel whenever his folks were out of town."

Stillman, Lilly, and Scotty all froze in shock. Stillman was the first to regain speech. "A brothel? For his friends? With his sisters? A _brothel_?"

"Shocking, I know," mused Vera taking a seat finally. "Seems this Angela had been…involved while she and Victor were dating in high school, and off and on in college. She said she made some good money working for Victor, and only got out when she got engaged to some fellow or another."

"And that's not all. She remembers hanging out with Laura and a couple of other girls that she named whenever they were waiting for 'clients' to show up. Rumor has it that Laura was the favorite of a certain guy by the name of Carl Green. Angela was sure the two were falling in love, and that Laura had been considering ending her 'career' in Victor's little moneymaker." Jeffries eyed his comrades silently as he let the news sink in.

"So you're saying that Victor may have been angry that Laura was trying to leave his business arrangements for some guy…angry enough to kill?" proposed Lilly arching an eyebrow in astonishment.

"Sounds like a soap opera my mom used to watch," muttered Scotty tossing the ice bag onto Lilly's desk and rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Have you guys found anything on this Carl Green?" questioned Stillman.

"We were on our way to his place when Lilly called for back up at the suspect's home," replied Vera. Jeffries simply nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Stillman glanced down at his watch and shook his head. "Leave it until tomorrow then. There's not much else we can do today. Scotty, I want you to go gather your things with Jeffries, and meet Vera and Lilly at her place to get situated. Starting together we need to crack this case and find our MIA."

"Great," said Lilly without emotion. "I get a new roommate. Feels like summer camp all over again."

"Just keep your cats off of my clothes," warned Scotty getting to his feet.

"Keep your clothes away from my cat," returned Lilly as she too stood up.

"Now, now, kids," started Vera stretching his arms, "am I gonna have to separate you two?"

"_YOU!_" The shrill female voice echoed across the homicide department, stopping everyone in their tracks. All eyes turned to the entrance where a red headed woman in a dark green business suit and heels stood pointing directly at Lilly.

"Uh-oh, something tells me she's not happy," whispered Lilly as she racked her brain for a name.

"You scandalous vixen! You fucking little slut! Who the hell gave you the right to harass my fiancée?" screamed the woman taking steps towards Lilly and the group.

"You do know who that is, right, Lil?" hissed Stillman as the petite red head made her way towards them.

"I'm assuming she's Victor's fiancée, the girl he dumped his sister for," returned Lilly as nonchalantly as possible.

"Good guess, Lilly, did you come up with that all on your own?" murmured Scotty into her ear. Vera shot the younger officer a death glare before turning to Lilly.

"Lil, that's Corrina Fay—the number one defense attorney in all of Philly. You're screwed."

**A/N—I sat down and just wrote at this horrible, horrible hour after work this morning. So, who knows how this is gonna turn out. Hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for being patient!**


	5. Trouble

**Disclaimer—The usual, I don't own this stuff.**

**5—Trouble**

Lilly bit her lip in anticipation as she studied the petite figure of Corrina Fay sitting across from her. The two women had been left alone at the desk after Corrina had promised not to try and slap Lilly again. The red headed lawyer had practically launched herself at Lilly, but was stopped when Vera had grabbed Corrina around the waist and pulled her away. After some negotiation with Stillman, Corrina had promised to be good if Lilly would talk to her.

"So," started Lilly ignoring the glares Corrina sent her. "What do you want to know?"

"I know Victor didn't kill his sister. He was very devoted to Laura. We visit her grave every Sunday," replied Corrina coolly.

Lilly nodded. "Right. Did he mention exactly how devoted he _was_ to Laura before she was killed?"

"He was her older brother, blondie. What more do you expect? He protected her like a knight in shining armor!"

"Uh-huh, funny, but Victor sang a different tune to us after Megan came to talk about their childhood."

Corrina rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh please, that bitch has issues. She calls me at my office all the time insinuating that Victor will one day dump me and marry her. She's fucking crazy. You shouldn't believe anything that comes out of her mouth."

"Then explain why Victor admitted he was in love with Laura at one time?"

"Every brother falls in love with his sister once in their lives. Every little boy promises that they will one day marry their mom or sister so the family can stay together. Victor was prone to that at one point in his life, yes, but it meant _nothing_."

"Okay," Lilly pursed her lips debating how much to divulge. "What about the assault charges against him by a former girlfriend?"

Corrina was silent. She looked down at the floor and crossed her arms across her chest. Lilly cocked her head to one side and then sighed.

"Ms. Fay, apparently you are aware of some of the allegations against your fiancée, so I'll cut to the chase. Victor is a suspect in the murder of his sister Laura. Now, he may or may not be the actual killer, but we do need to question him some more. His past is anything but black and white, his former girlfriend told us some information that he had withheld during our interview earlier today. We weren't there to charge him, just to clarify some…misunderstandings. But, Victor turned the tables and attacked me this afternoon, and is now on the run."

Corrina looked up and pointed at Lilly's throat. "He's not a bad guy, he's just…he has a temper. But I know he wouldn't do anything unless he had been provoked. Why can't you people just leave him alone, huh? He didn't kill Laura, I'd bet my soul on it. Why don't you look at Megan? She's always threatening me; she's insane and should be locked up.

"Victor is a model citizen, Detective. Fuck off. If I hear that you're still after him for the murder of Laura, I swear to God on high that I will bring you down. Got it? Chase someone else for a change, and let the Glenroses move on from Laura's death. The past is dead." With those words Corrina stood up and stalked out of the homicide department.

"How'd it go?" asked Scotty as he, Vera, Jeffries, and Stillman rejoined Lilly by her desk.

"I think we had a real touching moment. She hates my guts and honestly believes Victor is innocent. That and I think she just threatened my future in the department," replied Lilly standing up.

"Great, everyone connected to Victor is paranoid and crazy. This is my favorite case yet. Can't wait till tomorrow," said Vera shaking his head.

Stillman frowned. "Alright gang, get outta here while you still can. We'll start from square one in the morning."

"Meet you boys at Lil's place in an hour?" suggested Vera looking down at his watch. Jeffries glanced over at Scotty and then nodded in agreement.

"We'll even spring for take-out," added Scotty.

"What for?" hedged Lilly.

"No offense, Lil, but I want a decent meal tonight—not some hairball concoction of your making," replied the Puerto Rican innocently. Lilly shot him a glare before allowing herself to be led away by Vera.

**AN HOUR LATER:**

Vera whistled in amusement as Jeffries entered the front door lugging a rather large suitcase behind him. "And I thought girls were the only ones who didn't know how to pack light," he grinned as Jeffries dropped the suitcase in the middle of the living room floor.

Lilly walked over to the suitcase and nudged it with her foot just as Scotty entered the apartment. "What the heck did you bring, Valens?"

"Very funny. I don't know how long I'm gonna be crashing here, so figured it's better to be safe than sorry." Scotty winced in pain as he took a seat next to Vera on the couch. Within seconds Lilly's cats were sniffing the top of his head from their vantage point directly behind him.

"Lilly," warned Scotty freezing as the cats inspected him.

"What? Don't like the welcoming committee? Get used to it," returned Lilly innocently. "I thought you said you were bringing dinner."

Jeffries grinned, "It's on the way. It should be here in about ten minutes, we passed the car on the way over."

"You ordered from that Chinese restaurant, didn't you? They're the slowest delivery on the planet." Lilly gave a frustrated sigh and slumped onto the couch on the other side of Vera.

"Well, kids, as much as I want to stay and watch you guys fight all evening," started Vera, "I have better things to do with my time. How about you, Jeffries?"

"I need to head home. Can't miss _Law and Order_."

Scotty glared up at his co-workers as Vera and Jeffries headed towards the door. "Thanks guys, leave me here with Lilly and her cats. You're real pals."

Vera chuckled as he followed Jeffries out the front door. As soon as the door shut behind them, silence loomed over Lilly and Scotty. Lilly was staring off into space while Scotty fidgeted as the cats tried to crawl in his lap.

"Lilly, please, get your cats off of me!" hissed Scotty as Olivia began to dig around in his coat pocket. Lilly glanced over at her partner and grinned at the sight. Without a word she gathered Olivia and Tripod in her arms and settled back into her corner of the couch. Scotty used his good arm to wipe off the cat hair when the doorbell rang. He glanced over and Lilly and frowned as she whispered conspiratorially with her cats.

"I'll get it, don't mind me," muttered Scotty standing up and heading towards the front door. He pulled it open and gave a half hearted smile towards the delivery guy holding out their Chinese food.

"Thanks, man." Scotty took out his wallet and pulled out a twenty to give to the man. The delivery guy was busy studying Scotty's beat up appearance and looked up at the officer in question.

Scotty just shrugged. "What can I say? The lady hates it when people are late. I was supposed to take her out for dinner, but she's a bit impatient. Isn't that right, Lil?" Scotty called over to his blonde partner, who pointedly ignored him as she had no idea what he was going on about with the delivery guy.

"N…no pr…prob…lem," stuttered the delivery guy, his eyes widening as he snuck a glance at Lilly playing with her cats. The guy dug in his pockets and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He quickly grabbed the twenty and tossed both the food and the ten into Scotty's hands before high-tailing it down the steps and back to his car. Scotty chuckled as he watched the vehicle speed off down the street.

Lilly watched Scotty warily as he deposited the food on the couch and returned to the door and locked it. "Were you giving the delivery guy a hard time?" she asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say you will always get your food on time if you order from them from now on," was Scotty's good natured reply. Lilly was silent as she stood up to gather utensils from the kitchen. By the time she had returned Scotty was holding his carton of Chinese food above his head as the cats meowed pitifully at him. Lilly called her cats away and handed Scotty a fork. She grabbed her own carton of food and picked out pieces of chicken for the girls to munch on, before devouring the food herself.

"So, where do I sleep?" asked Scotty after several bouts of silence.

"Here." Lilly motioned at the couch they were sitting on.

Scotty arched his eyebrows. "Does it pull out into a bed?"

"Nah, but it is pretty comfortable. The girls love it."

"Those cats are _not _sleeping with me," protested Scotty pausing the fork before it entered his mouth.

"They won't, they always sleep with me at night," murmured Lilly in between swallows. Scotty thought about it for a minute before returning to his food.

"Alright. You have blankets, right?"

"And here I thought you had brought your own."

"That isn't funny, Lil."

"Don't panic, Scotty, I know how to treat my guests. But don't shoot my cats if you hear something go bump in the night, okay?"

Scotty grinned. "Okay, but I don't want any cat hairs on my clothes in the morning. I don't want to look like some shaggy dog."

"You are so doing my laundry, Valens."

**THE NEXT MORNING:**

Lilly brushed her hair in annoyance as she heard Scotty enter the shower. Last night had been pure hell for her. First Scotty had woken her up at midnight depositing her cats on her bed and then she had heard him prowling around her room at about three in the morning. He had sworn he had heard something outside her window. Lilly explained there was a stray cat that hung around the neighborhood, caterwauling at god awful hours, but Scotty had not been convinced.

"The man is a light sleeper," she muttered to her cats as they rubbed against her legs. Lilly paused as she heard Scotty get out of the shower, before pulling her hair back. She grinned when she heard him curse loudly when he slipped on a cat toy and fell against the wall with a loud thump.

"Dammit, Lilly! Can't you keep your cats' stuff out of the bathroom?" called out Scotty darkly.

"Sorry!" replied Lilly with a grin. She continued to smile as she headed towards the sound of the doorbell. Lilly glanced down at her watch and frowned. She wasn't expecting anyone at this hour in the morning. The doorbell rang again just as Lilly pulled the door open. She gasped at the person standing outside.

"Kite!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you had some trouble yesterday with a suspect. I wanted to be sure you were all right," replied Kite smoothly. In his hands he held a small bouquet of flowers.

"Well, I'm fine, but thanks for stopping by." Lilly tried to shut the door, but Kite eased past her and into the apartment.

"Lil, this is serious, a guy tried to kill you yesterday. You need protection."

Lilly frowned. "And you stopped by just to tell me that? I'm a big girl, Kite. I also know how to use a gun."

Kite ignored her. "Maybe I should stay over for a few nights, just in case."

"Actually—" Before Lilly could continue, she was interrupted.

"Hey, Lil," called out Scotty walking down the hall. "Do you think you could help me wrap my shoulder? I can't do it on my own."

Lilly looked up at the ceiling as Scotty walked into the room without a shirt on. He and Kite locked eyes in astonishment at seeing the other. Kite looked Scotty up and down before lowering the bouquet in his hands. Scotty's jaw tightened as he eyed the flowers.

"Kite."

"Detective Valens."

"It's a nice surprise to see you here this morning," continued Scotty.

"I could say the same for you."

"I stayed the night."

"So I've gathered." Both men were silent as Lilly stood patiently by the door.

"You boys finished?" she asked finally.

"Yeah," said Kite. "I better get going, I have work to do. See you around, Lilly."

Lilly gave a tight lipped smile as she opened the door for Kite on his way out. He paused to stand before Lilly and handed her the flowers before leaving the apartment. Lilly was quiet as she shut the door behind him. She pushed the flowers into Scotty's hands before heading back down the hallway and towards her room.

"Twenty bucks says my personal life has just hit rock bottom," she tossed over her shoulder.

Scotty looked down at the flowers and then in the direction Lilly had gone. "So I take it you won't help me wrap my shoulder now?"

**A/N—I think this is the longest one yet. So midterms are starting up, and I'm not sure when I'll get the next one up. Depends on what I get scheduled for at work. Enjoy!**


	6. Unusual

**Disclaimer—Still don't own it.**

**6—Unusual**

"Come on, Lil, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" cried out Scotty as they entered the homicide division. Several officers looked up at the pair and snickered. Lilly glared at all those who caught her eye. Her morning had gone from bad to worse after the Kite incident.

In the parking lot Lilly had been stopped by several female officers to settle the ongoing bet of whether or not Scotty wore boxers or briefs. Lilly had rolled her eyes and told the women to buzz off; causing the officers to chuckle and promise they wouldn't steal her partner from her. And that had only been the beginning.

Scotty had been a few feet in front of her when another woman approached Lilly. But this time she hadn't been an officer, she had been a paralegal from Kite's office. And she definitely wasn't one of the nicer ones. The woman had practically chewed Lilly out for "crushing" Kite by sleeping with her partner. Unfortunately, Scotty stepped in before Lilly could tear the woman's hair out.

Now Lilly was pissed. Pissed at Victor for running off; pissed at the Mayor for ordering a shadow for Lilly; pissed at Scotty for agreeing to the job; pissed at Kite for being an egotistical asshole for spreading rumors about her so quickly; and mainly pissed at herself for letting this all happen.

Vera and Jeffries were waiting for the two officers in Stillman's office. The moment Lilly and Scotty walked in the small group's conversation stopped short.

Lilly pointed a finger at the three men accusingly. "Don't _even_ start."

"That bad?" asked Vera raising an eyebrow.

Scotty rolled his eyes and said, "What do you think? Kite showed up and started this great story that we're sleeping together."

"We've heard," replied Jeffries with a twinkle in his eye. Lilly shot him a dagger eyed look before taking a seat in an empty seat.

"Yeah, yeah. So I have no chance at a personal life as long as I've stuck with Valens here…lets move on shall we? What's on the menu today, Boss?"

Stillman let out a sigh. "Well, now that we've lost Victor we need to go back and question his friends and family. I figure the Glenrose's won't appreciate seeing Vera so soon again, so Lil, you and Valens get the parents…and Vera, I think you and Jeffries better question some of our MIA's co-workers."

"You think Mr. and Mrs. Glenrose are gonna be more cooperative today than they were yesterday?" questioned Scotty.

Lilly grinned as she plucked some papers off of Stillman's desk. "They had better be. Yesterday we didn't know about these abortions. Mrs. Glenrose has a lot to explain today."

**Thirty Minutes Later:**

Scotty shook his head as Mrs. Glenrose offered some freshly baked cookies and coffee. He and Lilly had managed to catch her at the house alone, and were reluctantly invited inside.

Mrs. Glenrose was a plump, tired looking blonde. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun, and her eyes were a dull shade of blue. She wore an apron over her slacks and blouse, and a string of pearls around her neck. She wasn't exactly the perfect image of a housewife; she looked more like a woman trying to play a part she didn't know.

"I'm sorry…about that." Mrs. Glenrose nodded her head at Scotty's arm.

"It's alright, happens quite a bit," returned Scotty politely.

Lilly had been studying Mrs. Glenrose quietly, trying to understand the woman before her. "Your son has quite a temper," she said finally.

"Victor is a good boy, he can be hot headed at times, but it's usually nothing serious." Mrs. Glenrose shrugged.

"That's not what one of Victor's ex-girlfriends said. And neither did the charges she filed against him." Scotty watched as Mrs. Glenrose's face flushed a light red.

"That Angela was no good for Victor. She was a gold digger, only after his money. I was glad when she dumped him for some other chump."

Lilly smirked. "But you won't deny that Victor has lost control of his temper before, right?" She continued when the woman didn't reply. "I know that you were questioned yesterday about some rather…disturbing facts centered on your children."

Mrs. Glenrose looked up sharply, her lips set in a firm line. "I will not sit here and listen to you officers sully the reputations of my children. Nothing of that…that hideous sort _ever_ happened in my house!"

Scotty took over from there. "Then how do you explain the hospital records where several times Laura and Megan were brought in with Victor…battered and bruised? Or the abortion documents you signed for one of your daughters once? We've talked to both Megan and Victor…it was pretty clear from the answers we received that there was something going on that wasn't what we define as 'brotherly love'."

Mrs. Glenrose hung her head in shame, and when she looked up there were tears in her eyes. "You don't know what life has been like for me. For my children. Laura was our pride and joy…and then she was cruelly killed, for God knows what reason. And what do you officers do? Rather than search for the true perpetrator you go after my son! You sit here and ask questions and search for the answers that you want to hear!"

"Mrs. Glenrose, I'm aware of much of what you're afraid of," started Lilly calmly. "But in order for us to rule Victor out as a suspect, we need to piece the story of your children's childhood together. Why didn't you mention the abortion? Or the miscarriage? What are you afraid to tell us?"

"Teens will be teens. Their hormones aren't easy to control—you both must know that from one time in your lives. Laura's pregnancy was unplanned, unexpected…she was so _young_, fifteen, don't you see? She didn't know how to take care of a living being inside of her; she went too far and lost the baby…on accident. I…I don't think she actually knew that she was with child."

"What about the bruises reported by hospital staff?" asked Scotty shifting so that he could lean back in the cushions of the couch.

"Laura and Victor had been wrestling…the kids did that all the time. Sometimes they got a little carried away, but no one ever got hurt. Victor gave me a call and said that Laura was bleeding, so he took her to the hospital. She never told me she had had sex, and after she lost the baby she refused to tell me who the father of it had been. I didn't push it because I couldn't tell her father."

"Laura was pregnant when she had been murdered," pointed out Lilly. "Did your husband know about that?"

Mrs. Glenrose nodded. "Laura had promised she wouldn't do anything stupid, but how do you stop a teenage girl from acting upon a bodily urge?"

"What about your other daughter, Megan?"

"She made the same mistakes as her sister. You can go into any high school today and a majority of the students will tell you they're sexually active…it's a common theme among teenagers. Megan didn't want the child; she said the father didn't want it…so I thought it would be best if we kept the whole situation hush-hush."

"You didn't tell your husband?" Scotty raised his eyebrows in question.

"There are just some things that Paul shouldn't know. He prides himself on being a good father, and he is. I can't prove to him that I'm a bad mother because I can't control our children," snapped Mrs. Glenrose.

"Would your husband have blamed you for what happened between your kids?"

"I…no."

Lilly narrowed her eyes as Mrs. Glenrose looked to the ground. There was something she was hiding, something bigger than the incest of her children. Lilly lifted her eyes and glanced around the room. It was furnished with pictures of the family. As she studied each picture on the wall, her eyes settled on one in particular. It looked like Mrs. Glenrose and her husband on their wedding day. Lilly stood up and walked over the picture in question. Mrs. Glenrose watched with a mild amount of fear in her eyes.

Then Lilly spoke. "Mrs. Glenrose, how old were you when you married your husband, Paul is name?"

"Sixteen."

"I see...if you don't mind my asking, how much older is Paul?"

"He was thirty when we married." Mrs. Glenrose refused to meet Scotty's eye as Lilly continued with her line of questioning.

"You know, I must say that it is quite odd not to find a former residence in your records. It's like you and your husband appeared in Philly out of the blue. There's no evidence of your former life before the ones you made here." Lilly finally turned back to Mrs. Glenrose. "Tell me, is it common to marry a man fourteen years her senior where you came from?"

"It…I…"

Scotty was at a loss of words as Mrs. Glenrose let tears trickle down her cheeks. He had an idea where Lilly was headed, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answers.

"Mrs. Glenrose, where did you live before Philadelphia?" he murmured after a minute.

"Hildale, Utah. I'm sure you've heard of it, it's been making headlines these last couple of years in Arizona and Utah," whispered Mrs. Glenrose.

"The polygamous town?"

"The very same. My father arranged my marriage when I was just thirteen. At sixteen he gave his consent and I was married to Paul. It was his first marriage…he was a big supporter of the Fundamental Church of Jesus-Christ Latter Day Saints. He still is. But, the town was watched carefully, some, like Paul, didn't want to be put in jail…so we left. The prophet of the Church was upset, angry—but Paul promised he wouldn't stray, you know? And he hasn't, over the years he…he's been teaching Victor the teachings of the Church. And Victor has somewhat listened."

"Somewhat?" Lilly frowned.

"Victor can be just as radical as his father and grandfather…it dates back generations. I…I've been caught up in trying to lead this normal life, one where I can be normal. I never had that chance. My own father had ten wives at the time I left. I haven't spoken to him or my mother in years. She taught me that there was a such thing as freedom from tyranny, but I'm still looking. I thought Paul was breaking from the Church when we left, but I was wrong. Even now he has eight other wives, I don't know where, so don't ask. But, I guess I felt I could break from Paul in the modern world, but I have no where to go. Megan, Megan was soiled before Paul could find a match for her. No man of the Church will take her now, and that's what I was counting on.

"I knew about Victor and Laura. And I encouraged it. It was the only way to free my kids from the chains I wear. But…Victor has been influenced by both the Church and modern way of life, I'm afraid that he wants to take things to a new level. He loved Laura more than he should have, did he kill her? I don't know, and frankly, I don't want to know. I'm afraid that if he did, I will lose everything that I have learned to hold dear. Megan is all I have left, but she too has become too infatuated with her brother. And Laura…

"When Laura was killed she had been on her way out of our family. She was escaping from the life Paul had picked out for her. I've raised my children the best I could in my situation, Paul has never been much help as he divides his time between his families. So all praise and blame rests on my shoulders when it comes to the kids. He knows I can't stand him, he knows I have let my girls run wild so they could break free…but I could never help Victor. He's a firm believer in that women are property, and that no man can get to heaven unless he has three wives. There's a whole list of things set by the Church.

"So that's my story, officers. Do you understand why my children are screwed up? It's because I am. Because I didn't know any other way to save them." Mrs. Glenrose paused and glanced over at her wedding picture that Lilly stood by. "I have accepted Laura's death, sometimes I try to convince myself that she would have wanted to die rather than go on living knowing the background that she is from. I don't care who killed her, she's gone and bringing a killer to justice won't bring her back. I just want to salvage the last of the dignity that I ever possessed. Now, if you don't mind leaving, Paul will be returning soon. He'd be angry if he knew you had come by. And I know he wouldn't want to see you." Here Mrs. Glenrose directed her attention to Lilly. "You look just a lot like Lilly…Paul doesn't like to be reminded about Laura. God, you would probably give him a heart attack. Not that I'd care any."

Lilly and Scotty allowed themselves to be ushered out the Glenrose residence, and only when they had gotten back into their car did they speak.

"Do you buy her story?" asked Scotty as Lilly started the car.

"Yeah, I do. It makes sense, so now there are more suspects in this case than I care to count," replied Lilly sighing.

"Mr. Glenrose? You think he did in Laura cuz she wanted out of an arranged marriage or something?"

"Him and Mrs. Glenrose. She might have killed Laura because she felt there was no other way out for her daughter. Either way, it doesn't explain why our number one, Victor, snapped and took off."

"Great, this damn puzzle keeps getting bigger and bigger." Scotty groaned as he leaned back in his seat.

"What's the boss got planned for the rest of the day?" asked Lilly, concentrating on traffic.

"I think he just wanted us to interview the Glenroses, though I wish we could talk to old Paul himself. I'd like to ask him a few things about his way of life."

"We'll have to do it another day and make sure he doesn't skip town. His Church is getting hit pretty hard for the forced marriages and sex with minors. I wouldn't mind nailing his ass to the ground along with Laura's killer," growled Lilly.

Scotty chuckled. "No kidding. So what are the plans tonight?"

"Laundry."

"Good, maybe I can catch a nap on the couch before I sit watch."

"Scotty, you do know that I don't own a washing machine, don't you?" Lilly eyed her partner out of the corner of her eye and smiled at his frown.

"And why not?"

"Can't afford one."

"So where do you do laundry?"

"They Laundromat."

"What? You mean we gotta go sit out at some place with strangers all night? For what? Clean clothes? Just wear a towel to work."

"I'm sure the rumor mill would love that one," said Lilly dryly.

"I was joking, Lil."

"It's okay Valens; you can just pay for my laundry at the mat."

"Do they take credit cards?"

**A/N—Alright, I figured I owed you guys a new chapter, so I made myself write it up…and the outcome has even surprised me. I wasn't planning to make this latest twist, but it makes it that much more entertaining, right? Enjoy until the next chapter!**


	7. Rubber and Glue

**Disclaimer—Sorry, I don't own this stuff, I just write about it.**

**7—Rubber and Glue**

Scotty gave a deep, exaggerated sigh as he watched Lilly switch her delicates to a dryer and started a load of darks in another dryer nearby. Lilly glared over and him and then turned away to ignore Scotty. The Puerto Rican narrowed his eyes at his blonde partner and grabbed the nearest magazine in the Laundromat. He groaned out loud when he realized he had grabbed _Highlights for Children._

"I didn't know you could read, Valens," said Lilly taking the seat beside him. Then she glanced at his magazine. "Of course, I don't think pictures and puzzles count as reading."

"Very funny, Lil. You owe me for coming here tonight."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "This coming from the guy who vowed to watch me morning until night as long as our main suspect is missing."

"I didn't sign up for laundry duty."

"I told you to bring a book, Scotty. Laundry in this place is a slow process. So stop your crying." Lilly pulled her feet up into her chair and rested her head back against the seat. She was dead tired from the events of the day. After their interview with Mrs. Glenrose they had arrived back at the department with little else to do. Jeffries and Vera had returned twenty minutes after them with nothing to add about Victor. His co-workers claimed he kept to himself, and that none of them were his friends. Apparently Victor was good at acting like the average Joe.

"Hey, Lil, look!" Scotty nudged Lilly with a hard jab of his elbow, forcing the blonde officer to reluctantly open her eyes and see what Scotty was making a fuss about. She stifled a groan as she caught sight of a puppy entering the store with an old man holding the leash. "Ain't he cute?"

"The dog or the man?" teased Lilly closing her eyes again. Scotty flicked her on the forehead, causing Lilly to jump in surprise.

"What the hell?" she demanded in a flash of anger.

Scotty snapped right back at her. "You've been a real bitch since I moved in, Lil. What the fuck is your problem?"

"I never asked you to move in, Scotty. You volunteered all on your own. Jesus Christ! Stop being such a cocky bastard!"

"Me? I'm protecting you day and night, and this is the thanks I get?"

Lilly gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Gee Scotty, how would you like me to thank you? Sex? Or money? Take your pick."

Scotty scowled at Lilly's ill humor and quickly got on his feet. He stalked away from the fuming blonde and took a seat next to the old man with the puppy.

"Problems with the lady?" asked the old man patting his puppy on the head.

"Something like that. She's just difficult, you know? She likes her independence, so me living with her is like taking away the First Amendment," muttered Scotty darkly.

"Don't worry, boyo, things get better after you have your first child. After that the missus won't let you out of her sight."

"I don't think we'll be having kids anytime soon." Then Scotty froze. Kids? He turned towards the old man in a panic. "Kids? Oh, look, you've got things all wrong, Lil and I aren't married. We're not even dating. We're partners."

The old man waved off Scotty's protests as he slowly got to his feet. "My wife and I worked together for years before we started dating. Don't worry about your lady love, she'll forgive you, and then you two can share the same bed." With those words the old man followed an old lady out the door. Scotty watched in dumbstruck horror as he watched the old couple get into their car and eventually drive away. Scotty sat back in his seat with his mouth hanging open, barely noticing Lilly taking a seat beside him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. Scotty shook his head and looked at Lilly with confusion. "It's hard to share my place with someone after living alone for so long. That and I hate feeling like everyone thinks I can't protect myself."

"I'm sorry too, Lil. We gonna be okay now? 'Cause I don't think I'll live if you cut off my food supply while I'm at your place."

"Oh please, I'd let you eat with the cats. Their canned food is supposed to be high with vitamins and protein." Lilly gave Scotty a smile before heading back to her original seat.

**An Hour Later:**

Scotty grinned as he took Lilly's delicates out of the dryer. He brought the basket over to wear Lilly was folding her darks and waited for her to look up at him. Lilly finally glanced at Scotty, and her face turned bright red at what she saw in his hands.

"Lace, Rush? Didn't think it was you," said Scotty holding up a white lace bra. Lilly gave him a death glare and snatched the bra out of his hands.

"Don't _even_ think about it," she hissed grabbing the rest of her clothes from Scotty.

"What? I can't tell the guys at work you wear lace under all your clothes? It'd be a hot topic for the next month."

"You start telling people about my underwear and they're really gonna believe we _are_ sleeping together," retorted Lilly turning her back to him.

Scotty gave a small shrug as shifted his arm within his sling. "It'd be a helluva lot better than everyone thinking you're the one who beat the shit outta me."

"I personally like that one. So keep your mouth shut or I'll make the girls sleep with you tonight."

"The girls?" Scotty gulped.

"Yeah, you know, my cats. They like you a lot, so why should I deny them a chance to keep you warm at night?" Lilly smirked in triumph as Scotty grabbed her laundry basket and began muttering to himself about the injustice of a certain partner as he headed towards her car.

The ride back to Lilly's apartment was relatively quiet. Scotty was still muttering to himself, so Lilly turned on the radio to amuse herself. When they got to the apartment though, things took a turn for the worse. Lilly frowned as she pulled up in front of her place. She knew that something was terribly wrong. The front door was wide open.

Scotty pulled out his gun from his holster and motioned Lilly to follow at a close distance. Lilly also took out her gun as the two officers slowly entered the apartment. The place was dark as Scotty led the inspection of each nook and cranny. After twenty minutes they determined that whoever had been in the apartment earlier was long gone. Lilly returned to the living room and flipped on a light. She gave a small sigh as she caught sight of the mess the intruder had made.

"Hey, Lil, you might want to come see this," called out Scotty from her bedroom. Lilly returned to the bedroom and narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of her mirror. Written in permanent marker was a message from Victor.

_To The Angel of My Dreams—_

_Do not worry, my Laura, death is bittersweet. I will come back for you soon._

"Well," started Lilly trying to sound encouraging. "At least we know that he's still in town."

"Yeah, but what screw ball is protecting him? I'll call the boss and have him send some guys over to dust for prints. Maybe our boy left some traces of his whereabouts."

Lilly sat next to Scotty on the couch in silence as they watched the forensics team dust her apartment. Lilly and Scotty each had one cat in their lap. Lilly was deep in thought as Scotty stood up to talk with Stillman who had just entered the apartment.

"Hey, boss," said Scotty quietly.

Stillman simply nodded in acknowledgement before looking over at Lilly. "Is she alright?"

"I think she's pissed more than anything. I don't know how the fucker got in. Forensics hasn't found anything yet. It's like he had a key or something."

"Actually, it wouldn't be hard to break in," spoke up Lilly from her spot. "My spare key's underneath the welcome mat."

"Well then," replied Stillman, "should I book you two a room in a hotel?"

Lilly shook her head. "Naw, I'm not leaving my cats here, and if we stay here then we have a better chance at catching Victor next time he shows."

"Supposing there is a next time," mumbled Scotty running his hands through his hair. Lilly gave him a wide grin.

"There's always a next time, Scotty. Always."

"Fine, I'll let you two stay here for the night, but I'm leaving a cop posted out the front door," relented Stillman. "Tomorrow we'll sort through this Victor business and find the one who's letting him hide out in town."

Lilly and Scotty both nodded in agreement as Stillman walked back out the front door. It was close to midnight by the time the two officers were alone again. Lilly frowned as she heard two cops joking with each other right outside her door.

"As soon as I get my hands on Victor, he's gonna be sorry he ever screwed with me," muttered Lilly darkly.

"I think that's what he's counting on," said Scotty rubbing his eyes. "Come on, you need to sleep. The faster you get to bed, the faster I can."

Lilly didn't protest as Scotty led her back to her room. She rolled her eyes as he sat on one side of her bed waiting for her to get changed. It looked like her partner was preparing to watch her like a hawk again. Lilly grabbed her oversized tee shirt and boxers before retreating into her bathroom. Minutes later she returned and snorted at what she saw. Scotty had fallen asleep on her pillow and the cats were curled up on top of him.

"Serves you right," whispered Lilly as she grabbed a blanket from her closet and covered Scotty with it. Lilly pursed her lips in semi-amusement as she crawled underneath her covers beside Scotty. She turned her back on her partner, only to hear him shift onto his side. The cats protested with soft cries and then made themselves comfortable on the end of the bed.

_Some bodyguard, _thought Lilly to herself as she drifted off into sleep.

**The Next Morning:**

Scotty furrowed his eyebrows as he heard an alarm clock go off in the distance. After a minute in stopped, allowing him to cuddle the mass of blankets surrounding him. In the back of his mind, Scotty knew there was something wrong with his blanket. He nuzzled his head into his pillow, only to find it not as comfortable as it had been earlier. Scotty slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring at the top of a blonde head. He lifted his head off from the bed and smiled at what he saw.

Somehow in the middle of the night Lilly had drifted into his arms. Her head was resting on his chest, right beneath his chin, and she had one arm draped across his stomach. Scotty moved his good arm, only to find it pinned down beneath Lilly's body, and from the feel of it his hand had found its way underneath her shirt. Scotty lay his head back down and closed his eyes as he gently rubbed Lilly's soft back. He could get used to this.

The alarm went off once more and Lilly groaned. The night had been too short, that much was certain. Lilly reluctantly opened her eyes and blinked in surprise at her position. She closed her eyes in embarrassment as she tried to think of a way out of Scotty's arms before he woke up. That was when she felt the soft movement along her bare back. Lilly bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at her partner, finally coming up with a plan.

Lilly snuggled into Scotty's chest and let her hand drift up his broad chest. She could feel Scotty catch his breath, and she smiled at his predictability. She let her fingers outline the fuzz growing on his chin before letting her fingers crawl up to his lips.

Scotty thought his heart was going to stop. Lilly traced his lips with her soft fingers as she draped a leg over his own. He would definitely need a cold shower after he got out of this bed. Just as Scotty felt he was going to lose his mind Lilly struck.

"Ow! Jesus Christ, Lil! Let go!" cried Scotty as Lilly grabbed his nose and pulled it with all her strength.

"Trying to feel me up, Valens?" hissed Lilly twisting Scotty's nose. Scotty instantly pulled his arm out from Lilly's body and clutched her wrist.

"No. It was an accident. Now let go!"

Lilly twisted harder and Scotty cursed at his disadvantage. He still only had one arm and he knew Lilly would get the better of him if her tried to fight her, although at this point, getting pinned by Lilly Rush would be something to look forward to. If she didn't tear his nose off first.

"Alright! Alright! Mercy! I'm sorry," said Scotty letting go of Lilly's wrist. Lilly cocked her head in amusement as she eventually let go of her partner. They both sat up and scooted away from each other. Scotty gingerly touched his nose and glared at Lilly.

"You're right, you don't need a body guard—all you have to do is pull their nose and they'll be crying like a baby," muttered Scotty.

"You deserved it. That's the last time I'm hospitable to you while you're under my roof," replied Lilly edgily.

"Thanks, Lil. I don't know what I'd do without you." Scotty rubbed a hand over his face trying to shake off the feel of Lilly in his arms.

"You're such a bastard, you know that?" growled Lilly as she went about trying to find something to wear.

"'I'm rubber and you're glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you,'" recited Scotty with a devilish gleam in his eyes. Lilly stopped in the doorway of her bathroom and glanced back at Scotty with narrowed eyes.

"Cute, did you learn that all on your own? Oh, and Valens, I'd be sure and take an ice cold shower if I were you."

"Huh?" Scotty gave her a quizzical look. Lilly raised her eyebrows and nodded towards his lower body. Scotty looked down and grabbed the nearest pillow to put on top of himself.

"Hurry up, Rush. I'm gonna need the bathroom soon."

Lilly chuckled as she went into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed shut, Scotty groaned and fell back onto the bed. He sighed as Lilly's cats came to sniff him.

"Your owner's trouble, you know that? She's never gonna let me live this one down."

"You got that right!" called out Lilly from the bathroom. Scotty cursed at himself for his bad luck as he threw the pillow at the bathroom door. The day didn't look very promising.

**A/N—I know you guys have been waiting ever so patiently for some real romance, but, since there wouldn't be much of a story if they finally got together, I have to keep the humor going. But I promise, the next two chapters will bring them closer together. Enjoy!**


	8. Sick

**Disclaimer—I don't own this stuff.**

**Chapter 8—Sick**

"Lil, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry? What do you want me to do, get on my knees and beg for forgiveness?" asked Scotty trying to keep up with Lilly as they entered the homicide department.

Lilly shot Scotty a sour look. "If you did that then people would think you were proposing to me."

Scotty threw his hands up into the air. He was frustrated and sore. The cold shower had done little to make him feel any better. The problem lay in Lilly. Being within sight of her made him…uncomfortable.

"Problems at home?" asked Stillman raising an eyebrow as the two partners entered his office. Neither Lilly nor Scotty said a word.

Vera chuckled. "Kids these days. Good news, Lil. We found you a lead. We've been tracking good ol' Vic's cell phone, and a call was made this morning. Not long enough to track, but long enough to know he's hanging around and keeping in touch."

"With who?" Lilly frowned as she tried to figure out the culprit hiding Victor.

"Megan."

Scotty made a face. "You gotta be kidding me. Megan's protecting her brother? She's the one who tried to turn him in."

"We don't know that she's helping him," started Jeffries. "All we know is that she received a phone call from her brother this morning."

"Huh. Well, I think its worth going down to Megan's place and asking her a few questions, don't you think, lover boy?" stated Lilly heading towards the door. Scotty grumbled as he turned to follow her.

"Lover boy?" teased Vera.

"Don't ask. It's not even close to a compliment." Scotty narrowed his eyes as his colleagues burst into laughter.

"Morons," he muttered.

**Across Town:**

When Megan Glenrose opened her apartment door, Lilly was amused by what she saw. Megan was still in pajamas, and held a pint of ice cream in her hands.

"Why are you guys here?" she asked in confusion.

"Heard you got a phone call from your brother this morning," replied Lilly walking past Megan and into the apartment. Scotty followed suit.

Megan glanced at Scotty's bandaged arm and then back at Lilly. "He's after you know, huh? It's not surprising, I'm sure you've heard that you look a lot like Laura by now. You're a dead ringer." Megan took a seat, motioning for the detectives to do the same.

"Yeah," said Scotty, "funny how you didn't mention that when we first chatted."

"Should I have? I'm sure it was more fun to hear it from Vic himself though, he's a real nut case, huh?"

Lilly raised an eyebrow. "Your brother attacked my partner after trying to choke me. What did he want this morning?"

"Facts. He wanted to know if you guys had gotten any further in Laura's case…whether his _lovely_ fiancée was alright…the usual." Megan just shrugged as she dug a spoon into her ice cream pint.

"You're making it seem like there's nothing wrong with you two."

"I was angry when I came to you guys. Just because he's a murderer doesn't mean I love him any less. Have you talked to our folks yet?"

Scotty nodded slowly. "Yeah, your mom told us about your religious practices. How your dad's pissed you won't make a match some day. And the abortion."

Megan froze. "I had forgotten about that. She murdered my baby. Victor's baby. He hasn't talked to her since then, he only speaks to dad. Our mother is dead to him. Vic wanted a baby, and I was going to give him one. Then mom found out and dragged me down to the clinic. She said I was no better than Laura." Megan glanced down at her flat stomach and gave a sad smile.

Lilly pursed her lips in thought. "How would your dad have taken it if you had actually gone through with having the child?"

"He would have been ashamed. Having more than one wife is one thing, but incest…that's something entirely different. We aren't Mormons…we're a different breed, a whole new religion. But Vic, as enamored as he is with our Church, he's ready to start a whole new faction. He'd be the Prophet of the New Church. He's still working on a name."

Scotty glanced over at Lilly and the two grimaced as Megan drifted off into her own thoughts with a dreamy look on her face. She was definitely in need of some help. After a while they said their good-byes and left the apartment.

Lilly was exasperated. "Our witnesses are off their rockers. No court is going to accept any of our potential witnesses as credible!"

"Hey, hey! Don't worry, Lil, we'll get through this." Scotty placed his good arm around Lilly's shoulders and drew her to his side.

"Hey, you two! I want a word with you!" came a deep, raspy voice from behind the detectives. There stood a tall, gray haired man. He resembled an older version of Victor.

"Mr. Glenrose, I presume?" questioned Scotty dropping his arm to his side as the man came to stand in front of them.

"That's right. Who the hell gave you permission to speak to my daughter and wife?" demanded Mr. Glenrose looking Scotty square in the eyes. Then he turned his attention to Lilly. His face visibly whitened as his eyes bulged out.

"Dear God!" he croaked out.

"Detective Rush and Valens. We're investigating Laura's murder at the behest of your daughter, Megan," murmured Lilly smoothly. "Victor's wanted for some questioning, but he seems to have disappeared. Now he's wanted for assaulting an officer."

"Your son had quite an infatuation with Laura, did you encourage this relationship?" continued Scotty. Mr. Glenrose's face darkened at the words.

"Fuck no! Do you know what that would have done to my reputation if word had gotten out? I didn't know anything was going on until I caught Victor with Megan. I knew Laura had fooled around with some guys from school, but her own brother? What kind of man would I be if I had encouraged this kind of behavior?"

"Rumor has it that you have about eight wives now. Is that true?" snapped Lilly.

Mr. Glenrose crossed his arms. "So what if it is? You don't have any substantial proof."

"Unless the mother of Megan and Victor decided to speak out against you. Wouldn't that tarnish your reputation as well? It seems to me that no matter what you say or do now, Mr. Glenrose, you need to be straight with me."

Mr. Glenrose studied Lilly closely, and then let his façade fade. "What do you want to know?"

"What did you know about your children when they were growing up? When Laura was still alive?"

"Victor was a business man. He had developed some secret business or another to make some extra money on the side. He had all sorts of young boys calling at all hours of the day. Too many of them called on Sundays during prayer. I thought he had a dating service going on…then one of his girlfriends at the time came over in tears. Her parents came too. It was a big mess.

"My son had invested in a brothel on the go. He enticed young women to work for him, even my own daughters. As soon as this girl's parents found out they came over to press charges. I eventually calmed them down and promised to pay them to keep the entire situation quiet. I've been paying them for years. After that I took Victor under my wing and tried to teach him the correct way of the Church.

"He rebelled. Said he wanted to start his own following one day. But I thought that had been the end of the brothel business. Then he got one of my wives involved. She's still pissed at me for moving her away from my eldest son…I won't let either of them know where the other is. That's when he started the business with Laura over again. They really loved each other, and because I wouldn't share a wife with Victor, he took the one thing we did share. Laura."

"Do you think he killed her?" asked Scotty.

"Mr. Glenrose snorted. "Not a chance. He was devastated after her death. It was obvious that her boyfriend, that Green boy, killed her. She was trying to break up with him before she died."

Lilly frowned. "That's not the story we heard."

"It wouldn't be would it? I won't say that my life is normal, Detectives. But I've tried to live a simple one. I lost one daughter out of sixteen. I have twenty boys, counting Victor. As a father my job is to make sure each one is raised properly and righteously. Do you catch my drift? Laura's mother, Wanda, instilled the American notion of democracy into her children's heads. Look where we are now."

"Who was the wife that took an interest in Victor?" Lilly pulled out a small notepad and pen.

"What's it to you?"

"We'll need to talk to her. Rule her out as a suspect. In fact, we should talk to all of your wives and children. See if any of them have talked to your Victor recently."

Mr. Glenrose chuckled. "You're just as sneaky as Laura was. I'll give you the wife's name, the one who got involved with Victor, but that's all. I kept my families separated so as not to arouse suspicion. I know the cops. They'd send me to jail for some of my actions in the past. I can't afford my families in jail.

"The missus was Angela. Angela Ford."

Both of the detectives' heads shot up in shock. "Victor's ex-girlfriend, the one who accused him of abusing her?"

"The one and only. She's a real doll too when she's all dressed up. I married her to protect her from Victor…she might have a few things to add to my testimony."

"How about the girl and her family you pay to keep their mouths shut?"

"The Akers. The girl was Tina Akers. Her parents are well respected surgeons. They'd hate for this to get out to the public. Especially now that their daughter is married to the mayor."

"Of Philly?" Lilly gulped. Mr. Glenrose just gave a twisted grin.

"Where else? One last thing, Detectives. Stay away from Megan's mother. She's delicate when it comes to Laura and Megan. This new scandal with Victor has begun to push her over the edge. I sent her to shop with his fiancée today. Ms. Fay is a terrific woman; she really has her head on her shoulders."

"Don't worry, Mr. Glenrose," muttered Scotty. "We already know what job she holds. We'll try and not step on your toes too hard."

Then Mr. Glenrose turned to look at Lilly. He took both of her hands in his and gave a charming smile. "You're beautiful, you know that? I have half a mind to court you and make you number nine. We could make beautiful children, you and me."

Scotty quickly intervened by stepping in between the two. He felt Lilly clutch his good arm, giving him the confidence to grin up at Mr. Glenrose. "Sorry, she already promised to have my kids."

With that Scotty steered Lilly down the street and into their vehicle. Lilly was shuddering as she got behind the wheel. "Nice save," she murmured with a small smile. Scotty glanced in the side mirror back at Mr. Glenrose before speaking.

"This guy is as sick as his son. You look like his daughter and yet he still wants to marry you? Gross. I figured letting him no you were mine would save us all the trouble of gaining you another stalker."

"Gee, ever the romantic," said Lilly wryly.

"I can be romantic when I want to be. Right now we're not in a very romantic setting. No candles, no music, no food…my arm is still hurt. We wouldn't be able to have any fun." Scotty turned to Lilly with a glint in his eye. Lilly just rolled hers. Sometimes she wished Scotty would keep his mouth shut and sit there looking good.

"Sure, Scotty, you just killed the mood."

"Fine, be that way. I think we should go visit Ms. Angela Ford tomorrow, and that Carl Green fellow. They seem pretty important."

"What about the mayor's wife? She probably has a lot to say."

"We can talk about her over dinner."

"Over dinner? We want to talk _with_ her, Scotty." Lilly was skeptical.

Scotty nodded. "Yeah. Tonight you and I will go out so you can see me being romantic. But before we do that we'll take a detour over to the mayor's place and call on Tina. I'm sure she'll have loads to say, and that way we'll have stuff to discuss over dinner."

"Are you paying?"

"Of course."

"Alright, let's go talk to Tina and we'll go out to eat."

"We'll have to change first."

"Change? As in clothes?" Lilly made a face as she glanced at her slacks and blouse.

"No, as in attitudes. Of course I mean clothes. Lil, to be romantic you need to dress up. Like in a dress. I've heard some rumors that you're a real knock-out in a dress and heels."

"You talked to Kite didn't you?"

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

Lilly just grinned as she pulled the car out onto the street and towards the mayor's home. Things were getting interesting now, and she didn't mean just the case anymore.

**A/N—I know, I know. It's been a long while since I've updated. Things got hectic during Spring Break with a family crisis, so I got waylaid back home for two weeks dealing with it. Today was my first day without any homework or make-up work to do, so I thought I should sit down and write this. I owe you guys one. Enjoy!**


	9. The Date

**Disclaimer—Don't own any of this stuff.**

**Chapter 9—The Date**

Lilly inspected the room as she and Scotty waited for Tina Akers-Williams to join them. Both detectives were a bit on edge. Their jobs could be in jeopardy if the Mayor found out his wife had a slight connection to the Victor Glenrose case.

"Italian or Greek? I know some good places on my side of town we can hit," said Scotty looking out the window. Lilly snorted but remained quiet as Tina entered the room.

Tina was a cheerful, plump woman dressed to the nines. She definitely played the part of the Mayor's wife very well. "How do you officers do?" she asked motioning for them to take a seat. Lilly shrugged nonchalantly as she sat on the couch, only pausing to frown as Scotty practically sat on top of her.

"Good, Mrs. Williams. We love your husband—the best Mayor Philly has ever had," replied Scotty good naturedly ignoring Lilly's nudge to scoot over.

"You do understand however that we aren't here to discuss politics, right?" questioned Lilly cautiously.

Tina nodded. "I was wondering how long it would take before you guys found out about my past. I've kept it a secret for so long, that there are times I've forgotten about it myself. It's a wonder my husband hasn't found out about it. Tabloids follow us around like hounds on the hunt." She gave a nervous chuckle and then bit her lip in fear.

"I'd hate for anyone to know about it too."

"Don't worry; we have no intentions of letting this go to the public. You're part in the Victor Glenrose will stay a secret," promised Lilly pinching Scotty's leg. Her partner simply flicked her hand away and took up the questioning.

"How long were you and Victor dating when he got you involved in his…business?"

"Oh my, I think it was about a month and a half. I was so young and naïve, I thought we were in love. At the time I would have done anything for him had he asked me to."

"Even murder?" hedged Lilly.

"Who knows? I was foolish…Victor's business seemed like fun at the time. Lord, if I had known that Victor didn't like me for me I would never have given him the time of day."

"We heard your folks found out about your part in Victor's business, how'd it go?" Scotty leaned forward as Tina looked down at the ground.

"Goodness, it seemed like all hell had broken loose that day. One of my suitors came to the house claiming he hadn't gotten his money's worth. He blew up right in front of my parents. It was an awful mess. My father threatened him with a restraining order and then forced me to explain _every_thing. After that we marched down to the Glenrose's and daddy tried to kill Victor and his father. Of course, money is always the answer. Mr. Glenrose promised to pay us to keep things under wraps while he dismantled Victor's brothel service. I think daddy still receives money to this day. It's a wonder Mr. Glenrose can support his…family."

"So you know about the eight wives?" murmured Lilly.

"Oh sure, Victor wanted to have more than his father. Then again, he also wanted some of his father's wives. To get even with him for what happened to Laura."

Scotty frowned. "What happened to Laura? I thought Victor was the one in the wrong."

Tina gave a shrug. "He was, that much was obvious to the whole world. But, Mr. Glenrose had a soft spot for his daughter that went much more than fatherly. That's why Laura's death hit the family so hard. From what she had told me when she had discovered she was pregnant again was that she didn't know who the father was. It could have been her boyfriend Carl, Victor, or her own father."

Lilly stared at Tina in shock. "You're kidding right?"

"Oh no. Laura was not the angel that family has led you to believe. The whole lot of them were bonkers. Victor, Mr. Glenrose, and Laura were the oddest love triangle in history. She was so proud of herself for being able to keep so many men in her life in the dark about each other. Until she got herself knocked up. Then she and Carl started fighting and Victor was mad she wanted out of the brothel, and Mr. Glenrose—boy was he angry about her wanting to leave the Church."

"This kinda makes sense," started Scotty turning to look at his partner. "No wonder Mr. Glenrose wanted to marry you. You're the perfect replacement for Laura—then he'd have beat Victor at his own game."

Lilly shuddered. "Is there anything else you can shed a light on, Mrs. Williams?"

"No, nothing I can think of. But I'll be sure and let you two know if I remember something later on. My husband is just so proud of himself for handling the situation with you and Victor, Detective Rush. He thought it was perfect to have your own partner protect you. He's a bit of a romantic you know."

Scotty grinned. "Oh yeah, no kidding. So, what would he recommend, Greek or Italian for dinner?"

"Italian—it always sets the mood for a wonderful evening for would be lovers."

Lilly simply nodded in amusement as she stood up to leave. "Thanks. Keep in touch. Oh, and let your husband know how _grateful_ we are for his solution to my stalker problem. I've never had a body guard fall asleep on the job before."

"One time, would you let it go already?" demanded Scotty as they headed towards the front door.

"Only when you move out, Scotty," was the cheerful reply.

The drive back to the office was quiet as each mused the newest turn of events. Lilly frowned when she pulled into the parking lot and their car was surrounded by reporters.

"This can't be good," muttered Scotty as Vera and Jeffries came to the rescue.

"What's going on?" hissed Lilly as Vera opened her door.

"The whole town is head over heels for your story," answered Vera as he and Jeffries ushered the younger detectives into the station.

"What, about the Glenrose case?" Scotty was floored.

Jeffries shook his head as they finally shut the door on the reporters shouting out unintelligible questions. "No, the one about the homicide detectives shacking up together for protection from a crazy killer on the loose."

"Where'd they get that one?" exclaimed Lilly glaring over her shoulder at the reporters pounding on the windows.

"Your old friend Kite. Seems he was more than pissed about you and Valens in the same apartment, so he's playing the part of the jilted lover who has lost his girl to her head strong partner." Vera grinned as both Scotty and Lilly gritted their teeth.

"Man, that guy's really starting to get on my nerves," said Scotty darkly.

"I'm first in line when we kill him," returned Lilly as they entered Stillman's office.

Stillman barely glanced up from his paper work as the four detectives took a seat. "You're turning my department into a soap opera. I want this case solved and Victor behind bars. Whether we lock him up in jail or an asylum, I don't give a rat's ass…I want this messy romance stuff to stop."

"Easier said than done boss. We have the Mayor to thank for the film fest outside," smirked Lilly.

Scotty agreed. "Yeah. And that Megan chick, if she had warned us that Lil was a dead ringer for Laura none of this would have happened."

"What's new then? I want this case done by the end of the week." Stillman leaned back in his seat as Lilly explained the latest developments.

"Great," snorted Vera. "I've always wanted to dissect a love triangle gone wrong."

Stillman sighed. "We need to talk to Angela and Carl tomorrow. Since we've already talked to Ms. Ford, let's bring her here. Mr. Green should open up to Lil and Scotty at his place."

"Should I dress up too?" asked Lilly sourly, noting the underlying meaning behind Stillman's words. The boss only shrugged with a small grin.

Scotty shook his head as he got to his feet. "Well, if you look killer tonight then maybe we'll make you wear a dress to Green's place tomorrow."

Jeffries raised an eyebrow. "Going out?"

"I recommend Italian food—you have a better chance of sleeping in the same bed," teased Vera. He chuckled as Lilly hit him in the back of the head. "What, it's the truth. The missus will tell ya the same thing. That's how we got together."

"Thanks, Vera. Scotty's gonna be sleeping outside if he tries any more funny stuff," muttered Lilly.

"When have I ever tried anything funny?"

"Maybe when you tried to feel me up this morning."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been cuddling with me we wouldn't have had any problems," shot back Scotty. Lilly only gave him a glare and headed towards the door.

"Wait a sec," ordered Stillman sitting up straight. "You two better keep a professional air on my time…I don't want any domestic squabbling during questionings."

Lilly rolled her eyes and made her way out of the office and towards her desk. Scotty chuckled and gave Stillman a thumb's up as he headed towards the door.

Vera called after him with a more serious tone of voice. "Whatever you do Valens, I better not hear that you mentioned her sister to her on the date. Lilly might not have what it takes to kill you, but I can't say the same about myself. You hear me?"

Scotty looked back and nodded. "Loud and clear. I ain't screwing up this time. Scout's honor."

"This damn case has turned my detectives into _The Young and the Restless_," muttered Stillman as they watched Scotty head towards Lilly's desk.

"I'm more partial to _The Bold and the Beautiful_, myself," chuckled Vera. Both men turned to Jeffries to settle the score.

"I'm a _Days of Our Lives _fan, sorry," he said holding up his hands. The other two men groaned.

**That Evening:**

Scotty looked at his watch and rolled his eyes. "Hurry up, Lil, I wanna eat sometime tonight!"

"Just hold your horses, Valens. Do you want me to look nice or not?" shouted Lilly cockily. Scotty made a face and stretched his injured arm gently. He had decided to take it out of the sling for the evening, if only to pacify his ego for the date. There was a chance, alright a very slim chance that something more could happen this evening. Of course, that was if they ever got to the restaurant.

"This had better be worth it," muttered Scotty slouching on the couch.

"You're telling me," replied Lilly entering the room. "The date hasn't even started and you're already grouchy. And all before I tell you there's no chance in hell we're having sex in this lifetime."

Scotty glanced up and felt himself grin at the sight. Lilly was drop dead gorgeous. She wore form fitting green black dress that barely reached her knees with thin spaghetti straps that couldn't seem to stay in place on her shoulders. Scotty allowed himself to give her the once over and had to bite his tongue from whistling. Her heels definitely added to the allure of her legs.

"You gonna stare all night, or am I going to actually experience some sort of romantic version of yourself?"

"Let's go," replied Scotty heading towards the door. Lilly frowned when she noticed the missing sling.

"Is your arm alright?" she asked as they headed towards the car. Scotty gave her a wink as he opened the passenger door for her.

"Tonight I'm in tip top condition."

Lilly marveled at the outside of the Italian restaurant as Scotty pulled into the parking lot. He had managed to find quite a romantic looking place to dine.

"How many of your girlfriends did you ever bring here?"

"You're the first one," murmured Scotty into her ear as he offered her his arm. Lilly smirked and rolled her eyes, but played along with his charade. Now wasn't the time to discuss the past.

Inside the restaurant the lights were dimmed with candles and soft Italian music playing in the background. Lilly was impressed as the host graciously greeted the pair and led them to a secluded table near the windows. Glancing around, Lilly easily determined that all the tables were positioned as far away from each other as possible.

Scotty seated Lilly and then sat across from her. They each ordered some white wine and then perused the menu. The waiter eventually returned with their drinks and took their orders. As he took away their menus the pair fell into a silence. Neither one was quite sure as to what to say.

Finally Scotty cleared his throat. "What d'ya think about the case?"

Lilly gave a dejected shrug. "At this point anything and everything is possible. I'm not sure what to believe anymore…but I'm starting to wonder if Victor really did do Laura in. How about you, what do you think?"

"I don't know. Everything's all twisted. If Victor didn't do it though, he's in for one hell of a surprise if he thinks he's gonna get out of this mess scot-free."

"That's a nice way at putting it. Still angry about your bruises?"

"Ha, ha. What about you, aren't you worried he might come after you some night. He's a real nutcase."

"I figure he'll be in an asylum once this whole thing is done and over with—and you'll be back at your own place." Lilly lifted her glass to her lips as Scotty chuckled.

"That's what it comes down to in the end, doesn't it, Lil? Me outta the picture."

"Aw, Scotty, you know me so well."

Scotty shook his head and watched Lilly take another sip of wine. Maybe he would get lucky and she'd get drunk off her ass this evening. "So what are we gonna do about Kite in the mean time?"

"I'm pretty sure once he finds someone new to lavish his attention on this whole thing will die down."

"But until it does?"

"We ride the wave."

"That's great, Lil. We're gonna be the talk of the city for months to come. From what I've heard you're not an easy girl to get over."

Lilly shrugged. "It runs in the family."

"Don't start that now," warned Scotty dropping his smile.

"Start what?" asked Lilly innocently.

"The whole thing over Chris."

"Now why would I go and do a thing like that? It's been over a year now."

Scotty clenched his jaw and took a large gulp of wine. "Yeah, well you've been known to hold a grudge."

"I'm not the one who got involved with the wrong person," replied Lilly icily.

"Look, at the time I thought it was the right thing to do. I admit I screwed up. You were right and I was wrong. Happy now?"

"I don't know. Chris called me the other day and asked about you. She's made quite a name for herself in Mexico I hear. New job, new lover."

"Is this supposed to mean something to me? Your sister lied to me…it's over now."

"And I suppose those few weeks sleeping with her are long forgotten as well?" murmured Lilly, her eyes flashing.

Scotty glared at her as he finished off his wine. "I don't see why you gotta bring this stuff up now. I thought it was all in the past."

Lilly leaned forward with both elbows on the table. "It seems to me that it's somewhat odd to sleep with one sister and then a year later turn around and try and get with the other one."

"What if I told you I wanted to sleep with you _before_ Chris entered the picture?" hissed Scotty.

"What a consolation prize. But you decided to pass for someone easier, is that it?"

"Is that jealously I hear in your voice?"

"Please, you think too much of yourself," snapped Lilly clutching her glass of wine.

"You are jealous. You're jealous I went for your sister instead of you after Alyssa."

"Dear God, someone shoot me now," mumbled Lilly drowning down the remainder of her wine.

"Can't you just move on from the whole thing? It was a mistake, why do you think I'm taking you out tonight? I'm trying to apologize for the past!"

"And you're doing such a great job of it! Why didn't you just leave Chris alone when I told you to?"

"Why? Was I supposed to throw myself at you? Were you supposed to be the better choice? The more logical one for me to get involved with?"

Lilly narrowed her eyes in frustration. "No…yes…no! God, why are you being so fucking difficult?"

"Why did you bring this whole thing up in the first place?" returned Scotty acerbically.

"Because I have to know that I'm not just second best! I'm tired of being jilted at the last minute because I wasn't good enough! I'm tired of being put into my baby sister's shadow! And you! You're my partner! How do I know you won't drop me for someone new when we disagree on a case? How do I know this isn't some game to you? I've heard the talk around the office, Scotty. I know I'm made out to be some sort of Ice Queen when it comes to dating. But you don't know anything about me or what I'm like!"

"Or why! You should be able to talk to me, Lil—I thought we were friends!"

"So did I, then you fucked my sister."

Before Scotty could say anymore the waiter arrived with their food. He smiled at them and offered parmesan cheese. Lilly ignored Scotty's gaze as he absorbed what Lilly had said.

"More wine?" asked the waiter with a flourish of the bottle. Instantly, both Scotty and Lilly shot out their glasses to be filled.

Yep, Scotty had a way to go before he and Lilly worked through the problems blocking their relationship. A _very _long way to go judging by the way she was downing her alcohol.

**A/N—Sorry this one took forever to come out. I've been so busy, but the good news is school is out in like a week and a half so I'll be able to concentrate on this story. I wasn't planning on mentioning Christina whatsoever, but after the latest episode, I knew I had to comment on it somewhere. Hope you guys like it!**


	10. Repercussions

**Disclaimer—Still don't own any of this stuff.**

**Chapter 10-Repercussions**

Scotty wasn't altogether certain how they had made it home in one piece. Both he and Lilly were pretty wasted from all the wine they had drunk. For some reason he wanted to say it had been two bottles worth…and the check hadn't been a very pretty sight afterwards.

For the remainder of the evening Lilly and Scotty had been silent towards one another, each caught up in bitter thoughts. They had basically finished the meal and wine before deciding, with a little help from the host of the restaurant, that it was time to head home. Unfortunately for Scotty that meant returning with Lilly to her place, and he swore she had bitched about her sister most of the way.

"Did you know you're an asshole?" asked Lilly as she put her key into the lock.

Scotty merely chuckled. "Look who's talking. You're not the Ice Queen, you're the Queen Bitch."

"Fuck off."

"Fuck me."

Lilly snorted and pushed her door open, barely managing to keep herself steady. "You wouldn't be any fun, Valens. I'll take a rain check."

"I'd be ten times better than Kite," returned Scotty as he locked the door shut.

"And _I _would be twenty times better than Chris."

"Guess we'll never know."

"You might have if you hadn't brought Chris up."

"I didn't bring her up, Lil, you did," replied Scotty edgily as Lilly used his good arm as a balance to take off her heels. She rolled her eyes and tossed her shoes on the couch.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not," pouted Lilly heading towards her room in the dark with Scotty on her heels.

"Did too."

"Did _not_!"

Scotty grabbed Lilly by the arm and turned her towards him. Before she could protest he brought his lips down on hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. Lilly balled her hands into fists, but soon found them enclosed around Scotty's neck trying to pull him closer to her.

Deep in her mind Lilly knew the wine was doing all the thinking, but her body was desperately trying to ignore the warning bells that had been triggered. She wanted this to happen.

Scotty's pent up emotions took hold as he hungrily moved his mouth down to Lilly's neck. He let his hands roam up and down her lithe figure, as he felt her own move towards the front of his shirt. Scotty grinned as Lilly loosened his tie and began to work on the buttons of his shirt. He took her invitation and began to pull the straps of her dress down her shoulders.

The moment the dress and shirt hit the floor, the two officers fell onto the bed. Lilly struggled with Scotty's belt before he finally came to the rescue. She grinned in her drunken stupor as they both tried to pull down his pants.

"You laughing at me?" whispered Scotty nibbling on her ear. Lilly giggled as she pulled his hands behind her back.

"I might be," she murmured into his ear before nuzzling his neck. Scotty chuckled and quickly undid the clasp of her bra. The silence took over as Scotty moved his lips from her neck to her breasts to her stomach. Ever so slowly he slipped Lilly's last remaining undergarment down her legs.

With bleary eyes Scotty gazed up at his partner, and swore he saw two of her. He didn't want to admit he was drunk, that would mean this little incident wasn't real. Or something along those lines, he reasoned as his lips found Lilly's once more. And he desperately wanted to believe that this was happening.

Lilly moaned in delight as Scotty deepened their kiss. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the here and now while Scotty returned his mouth to her neck. And as though she were possessed by something other than alcohol, Lilly felt herself relax for the first time in years. Scotty maneuvered himself between her legs, and Lilly allowed him to enter.

This was definitely the best date she had had in a long while. If only she could remember what had transpired at the restaurant.

**The Next Morning:**

Lilly groaned as she heard her alarm go off. She fumbled with the buttons until the sound turned off. She blinked open her eyes and felt like screaming in frustration. It seemed as though there was a sledgehammer pounding around in her head. Lilly sighed and tried to make her body sit up. In the back of her mind she vaguely remembered the date from hell…and the two bottles of wine at the restaurant.

After about five minutes Lilly managed to get herself in a sitting position. She shivered and pulled her sheet around her as she tried to think. Something was very wrong. Lilly glanced down at her bed and had to stifle her scream as she caught sight of a very naked Scotty passed out beside her. This was definitely not good.

"Dear God, can things get any worse?" she muttered to herself as she managed to push herself off the bed. Lilly slowly walked over to her bathroom and locked herself inside. She grabbed her bathrobe and pulled it around her body as she tried to figure out what had happened after the date. She knew they had had sex, but what she couldn't decide was why. Hadn't she been mad at Scotty when they left the restaurant?

A smile formed on Lilly's lips as she eyed her medicine cabinet. She opened it and pulled out some aspirin. She opened the door to peer back into her bedroom and snorted in derision at her partner. It seemed Scotty was still out of it. Lilly slipped from the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. She found a glass and filled it with water. As she swallowed her pills, she felt a plan forming in the back of her mind.

Lilly quickly filled a small pitcher with cold water and returned to her bedroom. She walked over to Scotty's side of the bed and pursed her lips in thought. Maybe she should be kind; after all, his headache was going to be as bad as hers. But the more she thought about their date, the more she figured he deserved what he got. With that in mind Lilly poured the entire pitcher of water onto his head.

Scotty yelped in shock the moment the water hit him. He sat up like a dart and moaned in pain as his head tried to comprehend the water and aftereffects of the previous night's liquor binge. Scotty glared up and came face to face with Lilly. She didn't look very pleased at him.

Looking around he knew he was in her room. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on the watch again. I was bit out of it last night," he murmured sleepily.

Lilly simply rolled her eyes. Scotty wasn't so bright in the mornings. "That's the least of your worries," she snapped.

"What the hell is your problem, Lil?"

In reply Lilly simply threw the covers off Scotty and watched in triumph as he tried to cover his body back up. "Get it, Einstein? We got drunk off our asses last night!"

"Jesus Christ, Lil! What'd you do to me?" demanded Scotty gathering the sheet and wrapping it around his waist.

"Me? What about you? I don't remember much, but I bet you instigated this whole…whole mess!"

"Right, blame me. If you hadn't been a frigid bitch last night this might have not happened."

"Fuck you." Lilly tossed the pitcher onto the bed and header over to her closet. She rummaged around for some clothes as Scotty tried to look for his on the floor. He cursed in anger when he found Lilly's cats sleeping on his good pair of pants and shirt.

Things weren't looking so good anymore.

**At Homicide:**

Vera nudged Jeffries the moment Lilly and Scotty entered the department. The two officers were walking as far apart from each other as possible.

"Looks like they aren't talking," murmured Vera as Lilly went straight for her desk and Scotty headed towards the break room.

"I don't even want to know," said Jeffries as Stillman walked out of his office.

"Vera, Ms. Ford is downstairs. Think you can manage to help her find her way up here?" asked Stillman.

"Sure thing, Boss. One demented woman coming right up," replied Vera cheerfully.

"Is something wrong with Rush and Valens?" asked Stillman noticing that Scotty and Lilly weren't speaking.

"Seems like it. I'm not asking about it either. Lilly's been in a bad mood all week, I figure it's the living arrangements."

"Aw." Stillman nodded in understanding. Minutes later Vera returned with Angela Ford at his side.

The eighth wife of Paul Glenrose was without doubt a looker. She had long dark brown hair curled in perfect curls and eyes so blue it was impossible to believe they were her natural color. She wore a black mini skirt and an off shoulder shirt to match. From the heels to the perfect display of make-up, Angela could have been an example of a stripper with style.

Lilly eyed her latest suspect carefully. She had a feeling that Angela knew something and only wanted an audience around to artfully spill the beans. "Alright," announced Lilly. "Let's get this show on the road."

Inside the questioning room Lilly stood against the wall as Scotty took a seat across from Angela. The current Mrs. Glenrose was already batting her lashes at the young detective in a seductive manner.

"Mrs. Glenrose," started Scotty avoiding the woman's gaze. "You failed to mention that you are one of Paul Glenrose's eight wives. Is there a reason for this?"

"Honey, it's hard enough to admit that I'm married…but to someone as old as Paul? Please, I'd be labeled as a gold digger. And I just can't stand to be gossiped about," answered Angela smoothly.

"Well, by withholding information, you've just become one of our top suspects. We know all about the Victor-Laura-Paul triangle. Where did you fit in?"

Angela practically purred as she leaned across the table to place a well manicured hand atop Scotty's own. "I fit in everywhere," she whispered huskily.

Lilly shook her head in disgust. It looked like she would have to play the bad cop to get anything out of the woman in question. Lilly plastered a smile on her face and stalked over to the table.

"Back off," she said darkly picking Angela's hand up off of Scotty's. "I think you've become a distraction, Valens. Take a walk around the block. I'll take over from here."

Scotty shrugged and quickly vanished from the seat. Lilly took a seat and crossed her arms across her chest. "I want you to tell me everything you know…leave anything out and I find out about it I'll rip your hair out, capuche?"

Angela pouted. "You're no fun. I like your partner a lot more than you."

"He's gay. Now spill, I don't have all day."

"Fine." Angela gave a theatrical sigh before speaking. "Victor didn't kill Laura. Trust me. I studied psychology briefly…if he had killed her he would have snapped by now. The freak was completely in love with Laura. God only knows why too, she was a real whore. Worse than me, I'll even admit it. I doubt Megan did her in either. The kid was too young to know about murder. Laura was Meggie's role model. She worshipped the ground Laura walked on. Made me positively sick. I can vouch for Paul though. He was with me the night of the murder. Before we were married, I'll have you know."

"Funny, I thought Paul had been with his wife. Wanda. Laura's mother." Lilly furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought.

"Nope. Paul and Wanda went separate ways the night Laura was killed. But I had a good suspicion as to where she was."

"I'll bite, where was Wanda?"

"With Carl Green." Angela gave a grin as Lilly rubbed her forehead. Her headache was returning.

"Laura's boyfriend?"

"The one and the same. Kind of kinky, isn't it? Laura did her brother and father and some guy she met in Vic's brothel. Vic and Paul both did me. Wanda did Carl. And now Meggie's even doing Vic. We could be a blockbuster hit, you know? And if you wanted to change careers you could play the part of Laura."

"So I've heard," murmured Lilly standing up. She headed towards the door, feeling Angela's gaze follow her the entire way.

"Vic isn't sane anymore. I've known that for years. His little fiancée is in denial because he's worth millions. I'd be careful if I were you, Detective," warned Angela on a more serious note. "He'll come for you. He's been without Laura for years now…he'll want to marry the angel of his dreams and raise the perfect family. He didn't kill Laura then, but with everything he knows now…I wouldn't put it past him to try and kill her spirit. Meggie knew that too, that's why she never mentioned your likeness for Laura. Vic snapped seeing you, he wants revenge."

"For what?" Lilly turned around and swore she saw fear in Angela's eyes. "Laura betrayed him. Betrayed his trust. She went to the Feds. Laura was turning her family in for their…unorthodox ways. The case never progressed because Vic disbanded his brothel and Paul hid his wives in the woodwork. But they're still out there waiting to get him. Vic's always been one step away from the slammer since Laura's death. He wants to get even with her. Laura didn't love Victor. She didn't love Paul either. Nor did she love Carl Green. Laura wanted out. She claimed rape, assault, neglect—the whole enchilada. She was out to destroy her family the night she died. She was supposed to meet an agent that night…but she never made it."

"How do you know all this?"

Angela gave a weak smile. "I know I'm a slut. I got sucked into the Glenrose family. But Laura and I were friends once. I was the one who told her to go to the Feds. I guess that's why I'm with Paul today. I figure I should suffer for bringing on her death. I want justice for Laura…and for all of us in this screwed up family. You better bring them toppling down, Detective. The storm has barely begun."

**An Hour Later:**

Lilly, Scotty, Vera, and Jeffries were all silent as Stillman finished up his phone call. "It's confirmed. Laura did go to the F.B.I. before her death. They haven't been able to gather any substantial evidence to bring in any of the Glenrose's for anything. It's a dead end for them too. Unless we crack the case," sighed Stillman.

"What happens if we crack the case?" questioned Scotty wearily.

"The Feds are hoping the murderer will break down and air some dirty laundry."

"Great," muttered Lilly. "It's up to us to nail the entire family. You know that bringing down the mafia would be a hell of a lot easier than this, don't you?"

Vera chuckled. "Well, there's still hope. You and Valens have a date with Carl Green. You better bring a tape recorder so I can hear the fucker admit he was having an affair with his girlfriend's mother. This whole case is one screwed up love story gone wrong. Everyone was doing everyone else."

"Carl might be the final piece of the puzzle," pointed out Jeffries.

Lilly sighed. "I hope so; I'm so damn tired of this case. Even if we get the murderer and Paul Glenrose gets taken in…we still have our MIA."

"Yeah," agreed Scotty shaking his head. "Lil's still in danger with that nutcase on the loose. We need to get that guy to make an appearance so I can kick his ass."

"I don't care what Victor's status is by the end of the week, I want Scotty out of my house," replied Lilly blatantly ignoring her partner.

"Date that bad?" asked Vera with a small chuckle.

"Don't _even_ start with me," threatened Lilly. Scotty scowled and refused to meet his coworkers' eyes.

Stillman raised his eyebrows in concern but decided to ignore the issue. It wasn't worth pushing right now; they had other things to worry about. "Why don't you two go chat with Mr. Green and see if we can't fill in the blanks," he suggested. Lilly and Scotty were uncharacteristically silent as they left the room.

"We need to talk, Lil," started Scotty as they headed out of the office.

"Not here and not now. We're working, remember."

"Then later. But we need to discuss what happened," snapped Scotty.

"And we will. But I don't think you want me to kick your ass in front of all the reporters do you?" returned Lilly icily.

"Might as well. You told Angela I was gay, I wouldn't put it past you to kick my ass anyway to just prove a point."

"Stop being such a baby," hissed Lilly as they braced themselves to race over to their vehicle.

"Make me."

**On the Other Side of Town:**

Carl Green nervously peeked out from behind his locked door as Scotty and Lilly waited for him to answer. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice cracking with fear.

"Homicide. Detective's Valens and Rush. We want to talk about your relationship with the Glenrose's."

"Again?"

"Yeah, again," shot back Scotty. "You have a problem with that?"

There was no answer, save for the sound of the apartment door being unlocked and opened to allow the detectives access to the home of Carl Green. The man was a mousey creature, with unruly hair and thick eye glasses covering his brown eyes. He was still wearing flannel pajamas and a bathrobe.

"Did we wake you?" Lilly pursed her lips in thought as she studied the man standing before her. Carl didn't speak. He stared at Lilly and opened his mouth several times, but no words came out.

"La—Laura?" he stammered, his face turning pasty. Scotty noticed the beads of sweat on the man's forehead, but it was too late to do anything. Carl Green fainted in a heap on the ground at Lilly's feet.

"That's it," she muttered darkly. "I'm never questioning another suspect again without first getting a picture of the deceased victim. This is starting to get ridiculous."

"You're telling me," sighed Scotty. "You're not even as pretty as Laura once was."

"Excuse me?" demanded Lilly placing her hands on her hips.

Scotty flinched as he realized what he had said. "What I mean…well, you know…I really liked that dress you wore last night."

"I am _so_ not talking to you right now."

"So what else is new?"

**A/N—Alright, I'm really not sure how this came out…I don't know that I like how this chapter went. I debated for an entire week if I wanted to play the story out this way, and as you can tell, I did. But I'm going to warn you ahead of time, this chapter with Lilly and Scotty is necessary for some future ones. Other than that, I hope you guys like this one. Enjoy!**


	11. Rambling Man

**Disclaimer—I own zilch.**

**11—Rambling Man**

Lilly poked Carl with her foot as Scotty searched the kitchen for a cup or pot—anything that would hold water.

"Having any luck, Valens?" asked Lilly.

"The man's a pig. I can't find shit over here," called back Scotty irritably. Lilly narrowed her eyes and walked over to the kitchen area. She quickly grabbed a pot from the sink and filled it with water. Scotty followed her back to the still form of their newest suspect. Lilly dumped the water on Carl and threw the pot down beside him.

"I didn't do it!" screeched Carl sitting up straight. He glanced at Lilly and his eyes widened in surprise once more. Scotty grabbed Carl by the scruff of his robe and pulled the shaking man up to meet him eye to eye.

"Don't go fainting anymore or else I'll kick your ass and lock you up for a few days with no food or water."

"We have some questions for you, Carl, and I'm pretty sure you have the answers we want." Lilly shot the trembling man a bright smile.

"May…maybe," stammered Carl as Scotty let him drop to the floor again. Carl quickly motioned towards the sitting area and crawled on hands and knees after the two detectives.

Lilly took a seat beside Scotty and flashed Carl another winning smile before speaking. "Rumor has it, Carl, that you weren't very faithful to Laura."

"Something along the lines of you doing Laura's mom," added Scotty grimly. "Why don't you tell us about that?"

Carl gulped and slid a shaky hand through his greasy hair. "Laura wasn't very faithful either."

"We know."

"I…I couldn't help it. I was a fool—a _complete_ fool for thinking Laura would be loyal working in Victor's brothel. When I found out she was cheating on me…with Victor of all people, I…I broke down. Wanda, Laura's mom, she was there for me. Our love just…blossomed. She was the perfect woman. It didn't matter that she was older, she was an angel. A beautiful angel."

"Uh-huh." Lilly raised her eyebrows in question. Carl glanced over and hung his head in shame.

"Laura was amazing and treacherous at the same time. She made everyone fall in love with her. She _lived_ for attention. She…Laura was brainwashed from the day she was born. Her parents made her believe she had been born to become a wife and make babies. Wanda would never defy Paul—he's one scary sonofabitch. But because he took on more and more wives he spent less time with Wanda and the kids. So she began to instill shame for their lifestyle. All three rebelled. Victor started his brothel because he figured he was already screwed in life; Laura was pissed and wanted everyone to go to hell with her, which is why she went after Victor; and Megan, Meg was just like Laura, but she wanted to be better.

"After she gave birth, Laura snapped—"

"Wait a second," said Lilly, "Laura gave birth?"

"Yeah." Carl let out a deep breath. "She had run away after she learned she was pregnant for the second time. She had a baby boy that she gave up."

"Whose baby was it?" demanded Scotty suspiciously.

"Victor. He doesn't know where the kid is though."

"Where is he?" asked Lilly.

"Angela adopted him. Paul's trying to raise him. The kid ain't…he's…retarded. But after he was born, Laura wanted out and she wanted to destroy her family for what they had done with her. She was messed up real bad. Laura went to the feds. She claimed she was sexually abused by both male members in her family and she claimed that her mother beat both her and Meg."

"Did Wanda abuse the girls?" Scotty edged closer to Carl for the whispered answer.

"Never."

"But that didn't matter to Laura, did it?" questioned Lilly with a frown.

"No. Laura had lost her mind. Her own baby wasn't normal…her brother wanted to marry her…her sister wanted her dead…her dad wanted her to be obedient…her mom wanted her to follow her heart. Laura wanted it all to end.

"Wanda was hurt. Victor was pissed. Megan was scared. Paul was angry. Angela was irritated. Even I felt betrayed."

"Carl," started Scotty cautiously. "Do you know who killed Laura?"

Carl nodded.

Lilly sat back with a shake of her head. "What happened that night?"

"Laura found out that she was pregnant again. It was undeniable proof for the feds to raid her family. Wanda was freaked. She came to me for help…but what could I do? Wanda had nowhere to go—she doesn't like to appear needy or helpless to strangers. She liked the high life she lived. She would have lost everything in Laura's need for revenge.

"I brought her home to talk some sense into Laura. When we got there…" Carl broke off into a loud sob, "…there was blood everywhere. Oh, God, it was horrible! I live every waking hour just thinking about it. Laura was…she looked like an angel, even with all that blood.

"It was a freak accident. Victor and Laura had been arguing when _she_ came in with the knife. She was raving and foaming at the mouth. That's how upset she was. No one would ever have guessed she was a beauty—she looked like a lunatic!"

"Who had the knife, Carl?" hissed Lilly.

Carl looked into Lilly's face. Years seemed to lift off his haggard face. He had returned to the past. "I'm sorry, Laura. I should have stopped her, but I froze."

"Carl," warned Scotty. The man shook his head and returned to the present.

"Megan thought she'd be sent to a foster home. She and Laura had argued the night before. Laura had told Meg she couldn't take care of her after their parents were jailed. Meg tried to kill her, but Victor wrestled the knife away. And then it happened…Victor turned around to stab her…and Laura got in the way. The guy just wanted to kill Wanda for not killing them at birth. For making all three of them…Vic, Meg, and Laura who they were. But Laura…she had a moment of clarity and regret. She stepped in front of Wanda and…she…"

Carl sobbed as Lilly and Scotty eyed one another sorrowfully. Their murderer was indeed the MIA, but now at least they had a key witness talking.

Scotty stood up and started dialing Stillman. The case was solved. Victor Glenrose had killed his sister, and living with the bitter truth all these years.

Hours later Carl Green, Wanda Glenrose, and Megan Glenrose were each giving their first hand accounts of Laura's murder. Stillman was on the phone with the F.B.I. filling them in. As he hung up sirens could be heard across town. The feds were bringing in Paul Glenrose for sexual abuse and tax fraud. Apparently he had been reaping hoards of money in fake names claiming the many kids he had.

Lilly and Scotty were sitting across from each other in silence when Angela Ford entered the department pushing a young teenage boy in a wheel chair. Behind her was Corrina Fay. The two women huddled close to the Glenrose women in tears of relief and renewed sorrow. Carl glanced at the detectives and gave them a grateful smile.

Scotty smiled and sighed as he looked over at his partner. "We gonna talk?" he asked.

"Do we need to?" shot back Lilly wearily.

"Yeah, I think we do. Last night—"

"Shouldn't have happened. It was a mistake."

"Lil, don't push me away. Drunk as we were—last night went two ways. You wanted it just as much as I did."

"We're partners, Scotty. We can't have _anything_ between us. It would get in the way of our jobs."

"I think you're afraid to get close to me. Afraid to fall in love."

"With you? Don't hold your breath." Lilly shook her head. "Love has nothing to do with it, Scotty."

"Doesn't it though? Then why won't you listen to your heart, Lilly? _Give us a chance._ We'd be good together—I know it!"

"_But I can't_."

"You need to start thinking about someone other than yourself, Rush. Your job won't always come first in your life."

"Right now it's all I have…and all I want."

"Is that it? So no us?"

"No us."

"Ever?" Scotty pressed nervously.

"I…I don't know. We have skeletons in the closet, Scotty. Right now isn't the best time to try and sort them out."

"Then when?"

"I don't know anymore. I honestly don't know." The two lapsed into an awkward silence. Luckily Vera and Jeffries motioned for them to join them in Stillman's office.

"What's up, boss?" asked Scotty stretching his arms.

Stillman groaned and took off his glasses. "Victor."

"MIA," muttered Lilly.

"Exactly. We need to find him—and soon. The Mayor isn't too happy that a murderer is on the loose. No one's heard from him since yesterday."

Vera cracked his knuckles. "The bastard is probably still in town."

"He left that note at Lilly's. He thinks she's Laura reincarnate," agreed Jeffries solemnly.

"Funny thing too. I'm older than Laura," mumbled Lilly rubbing her eyes.

"No kidding," whistled Scotty. Lilly glared at him as the others chuckled at the joke.

"So what do we do, Chief?" Vera looked over at Stillman, ready for an answer.

"Flush him out."

"And how the hell are we doing that?" demanded Lilly.

Stillman simply picked up a paper from his desk. It was a tabloid with Lilly on the front cover.

**A/N—I know it's been a while, but I had to debate who the killer was going to be. I'm almost done with this one, so bear with me. Other than that I hope you guys like this chapter. Enjoy!**


	12. Angel Stalker

**Disclaimer—Still don't own it.**

**13—Angel Stalker**

Lilly flipped channels with an irritated frenzy. Almost three weeks had passed and Victor Glenrose hadn't made a peep. Beside her, Scotty struggled not to yell at her for flipping channels so fast. He was practically car sick. Their relationship had gone from strained to nonexistent. And everyone was feeling the effects.

"Lil, would you stop?" cried out Scotty as they started channel surfing all over again. Lilly said nothing, but she did stop flipping channels. They were now watching _Lifetime._ Her partner groaned and jumped to his feet as the doorbell rang. Their dinner had finally arrived.

For the past three weeks Lilly and Scotty had made more public appearances for the homicide detective than the President of the United States made in a year. Their pictures were splashed across every tabloid in town…and the stories were becoming more incredible by day. They were now known as bona fide lovers as well as partners. The Mayor loved the publicity. His rankings in the city had risen as more stories about Lilly and Scotty surfaced. Yet, not once did Victor make a move.

Truthfully, Lilly was pissed. With Victor still hiding Scotty was still her shadow. And after their date from hell she hadn't wanted to be anywhere near him outside of work. Lilly wanted to spend time away from Scotty to determine how she really felt about him. Unfortunately God seemed to hate her at the moment and Scotty still slept under the same roof as her.

"Hey, get out of the way!" ordered Lilly as Scotty walked in front of the TV.

"Whatcha watching?" asked Vera as he and Jeffries followed Stillman inside her apartment.

"Some movie on _Lifetime_," was Lilly's reply. All three men groaned and Scotty simply shook his head in disgust. Now Lilly would never change the channel.

"Here, Lil," said Scotty handing her a carton of fried rice. "Supper's ready."

"Thanks," mumbled the blonde, not bothering to take her eyes off the TV. Vera took a seat on the other end of the couch as Jeffries sat down in the arm chair. Stillman made his way across the room with Lilly hurrying him along with insults. He pulled out a wooden chair and took a seat, leaving Scotty the last available seat in the room. Smack dab in between Lilly and Vera.

"Anything else on?" Vera looked over at Lilly hopefully. She hid the remote under her leg for an answer.

"Just though I'd ask," he muttered with a sheepish grin.

"Don't bother," whispered Scotty, "she's been pissy for weeks now. I haven't had warm water since Carl's confession."

"Shower at a different time," suggested Jeffries.

"Lil runs the water day and night so I can _never_ have a hot shower."

"Cold water builds character," replied Lilly cheekily.

"Ouch," said Stillman. "I take it you've had no word from your insane lover?"

"Not a one."

"Who'd blame him?" asked Scotty bitterly. "You've been a real Ice Queen lately."

"Har har. Better sleep with one eye open, Valens, or you might find yourself bald."

The room lapsed into silence as the detectives concentrated on their Chinese food. The quiet was short lived.

Lilly made a face and spit her food back into the carton in her hands. "What the hell is this?" she demanded as Scotty turned to look over at her.

"Fried rice."

"There's shrimp in it!"

"It's the house special! There's _supposed _to be shrimp!" protested Scotty.

"Ew!" Lilly thrust her carton into Scotty's hands and fled down the hall.

"What?" exclaimed Scotty looking at his friends.

Vera shook his head in amusement. "Lil hates any and all seafood. You should have known that living with her for the past month and a half."

"Oh Jesus Christ, Lil! You can't even taste the damn things!"

There was no reply from the bedroom. Scotty turned back to his own food, but the sound of breaking glass reached the front room. Then men froze as a thud followed.

Scotty had his gun out in a flash as he raced down the hall with Vera hot on his heels. Jeffries pulled out his phone to call for back-up as Stillman cautiously edged down the hall. Something was up.

In the bedroom Lilly caught her breath. There in front of her stood Victor Glenrose. He had broken through her bedroom window and landed on her floor in a huffing heap. She had barely emerged from the bathroom, and now she was trapped. In the corner of her eye she caught sight of Scotty and Vera with their guns drawn. Lilly gave a shake of her head to prevent them from rushing into the room. Victor was still catching his breath, but she had a gut feeling he was more dangerous than four armed officers.

"My angel," started Victor looking up at Lilly. "I have come back for you. You won't get away from me this time!"

"Victor," said Lilly with a catch in her throat. "We know what happened the night Laura died. It was an accident. You have nothing to worry about. We just need you to give your statement to the police and then get you some help."

"Help? You're the only one who needs help, Laura. You took away my son, I know about him. He's mine! You tried to kill our mother, our sweet loving mother…but I didn't let you…and here you are haunting me!"

Scotty edged into the room. "Victor, I need you to put your hands up and lay face down on the floor."

"No! Laura is _mine_! Do you hear me? _Mine! _I love her, not you!" shrieked Victor standing up. In his hands was a large knife, his eyes had a wild look in them. "Death is bittersweet, my dearest angel. I hope you can forgive me in heaven." He looked up into the sky and then lunged at Lilly with the knife.

Time seemed to freeze as shots came from every direction. Lilly felt herself hit the ground with Victor on top of her. Pain shot up her arm from where the knife had gotten her. The last thing Lilly remembered seeing before she passed out was Scotty pulling Victor off of her.

**Later That Day:**

Lilly wasn't paying attention to the doctor as he rattled on and on about her condition. She was fine, she was going to live. That's really all that mattered. They had done every test possible to be sure she was okay. But, all in all, Lilly wasn't sure what to feel at the moment. Numb was one of them.

Outside in the waiting room Scotty, Vera, Jeffries and Stillman were sitting restlessly. Lilly had given them quite a scare passing out at the apartment. It wasn't until Victor had been pulled off of her that Scotty had seen the knife and blood dripping down her arm.

The doctor came out with Lilly trailing behind him. She was oddly silent. Scotty put it off as shock that the whole Victor Glenrose fiasco was finally over. He was dead now, he couldn't stalk her anymore.

"You alright?" asked Vera as Lilly came to stand before them.

Lilly gave a small smile. "As good as ever. Except I have to wear a damn sling for a few days, and get a check-up with my usual doctor."

"See, cold water _doesn't _build character," teased Scotty. Lilly made a face at him.

Stillman shook his head in relief. "We're glad you're alright, Lil. That's all that matters."

"Are you still going to come in tomorrow?" questioned Jeffries with curiosity. Lilly shrugged.

"Why not? It's not like I want to stay home and clean house. My cats are probably freaking out by now."

"Actually," murmured Scotty, "they're at my place. Your place is off limits until the rest of the mess can be cleaned up."

Lilly stared at Scotty as the group headed towards the exit. "You mean to say that even though my crazy stalker is dead, I still have to stay with you? What did I do wrong in a past life?"

The ride to Scotty's apartment was unusually quiet. Lilly was staring out of the window lost in her thoughts as Scotty tried to concentrate on the traffic. He was concerned about his partner, but he knew now was not the time to let her know how he really felt about her. He wasn't sure if she would listen to him.

Lilly, on the other hand, was thinking about her future. She knew she had something with Scotty…but would it work? And now…now she was out of a home for a while, and still with her partner. She knew by now that she would never truly be rid of him. Scotty would always be a part of her. But how to explain it to him so he wouldn't take it the wrong way?

They pulled up in front of Scotty's apartment, but neither one got out.

Lilly spoke first. "Scotty, we need to talk."

"About us?"

"About us."

"You having second thoughts?"

"Not exactly. I'm…confused. And scared."

"So am I, Lil. I really care for you. I want you to give us a try."

Lilly bit her lip. "Scotty, there's something I need to tell you."

"What?"

"Promise you won't overreact?"

"You love me don't you?"

"Scotty—"

"It's alright, Lil, I think I'm falling in love with you too."

Lilly stared at her partner and took a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. She hadn't expected this. "I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," breathed Scotty leaning closer to her face. Lilly rolled her eyes as she felt his breath on her.

Just as he was about to capture her lips with his she spoke once more. "Scotty, I'm pregnant."

**The Next Day:**

Stillman, Vera, and Jeffries all looked up as Lilly and Scotty entered the department. Lilly was in fact wearing the much despised arm sling. Scotty was walking towards them with his mouth hanging wide open.

Lilly shrugged as the three men looked to her for an answer. Scotty made himself a cup of coffee, spilling half of it on the counter. He left it on the counter and took a seat at the break room table. He grabbed the cup of sugar and took a sip without tasting it.

"Lil," warned Stillman in a serious tone. Lilly made a face.

"Fine. Scotty's just adjusting." She gave a smile, patted Scotty on the head and went about making herself a cup of coffee.

Scotty looked over at Vera and began babbling. "I'm a. I be. Me her. She me. Good bad. Scared not ready. She calm. Me lost."

"Huh?" Vera snapped his fingers in front of the young detective, but Scotty simply took another swig of the sugar. Lilly set her coffee down on the table as Jeffries took the sugar away from Scotty.

She poured some sugar into her cup and mixed it with a spoon. "All I did was tell him what the doctor told me yesterday. Apparently it's hitting him harder than it is me."

"Which is?" Jeffries waited for Lilly to finish the sentence. Scotty watched in a dumbstruck stupor as Lilly raised the cup to her lips. He pointed at it as she spoke once more.

"I'm pregnant." Lilly gasped as Stillman tore the cup out of her hands and all three men swiveled their heads to look at Scotty. He finally seemed to catch his tongue.

"Daddy. Me. I'm having a baby!"

"My coffee!" cried Lilly.

"Not while you're carrying a baby," replied Stillman.

"Then what am I supposed to drink?"

Jeffries grinned and set about making a cup of tea. Vera chuckled as another officer entered the room. "Lilly, you've got a call from Mexico. Your sister."

Lilly's face lit up as she left the room. "Might as well have _some _fun before I get fat," she murmured to herself. She sat on the edge of her desk and picked up the phone. "Rush here."

"Hey, Lil, I got wind of some trouble you were in. Are you okay?" Christina genuinely sounded worried as her voice filtered through the line. Lilly looked over to where Scotty was being congratulated and yelled at the same time over in the break room.

She grinned to herself, thinking she and Scotty would deal with their relationship soon with a baby on the way. "Everything's fine, Chris. No worries. Scotty took care of everything."

"Oh. Is he alright?"

"Okay. He's going to be a dad pretty soon."

"R…really? Scotty?"

"Yeah. How are things in Mexico?"

"Great. I've learned how to surf. How are you? Besides detective work."

"Didn't I tell you already? I'm pregnant."

**A/N—I know this was a long time coming…but I wanted this to end on a good note. Just so you know, yes, I am going to attempt a sequel. But it probably won't be until the fall. I want to finish up a few other stories I have going this summer. But be on the lookout for me later on. I hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading it!**


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